Falling for Captain America
by RunningInThePouringRain
Summary: Ella Stark was an ordinary girl with an ordinary life, well that was until she accepted her brother's offer of staying with him at Stark Tower. Now she has to deal with the brother she doesn't really know and his crazy life. Could it be the best decision she ever made thanks to a certain Steve Rogers? (CapxOC, Pepperony, Clintasha, Domestic avengers, romance, action and a Hulk)
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone so this is my first ever Avengers fic and I am so nervous about posting it so if you can review and let me know how it is I would love it!

I already have many chapters of this story written so if you like it then updates will be very regularly.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Ella. I regret nothing. Except the amount of hours I spent working on this when I should have been sleeping. Nah, not even that!

/

Ella sighed as she walked through the airport with her luggage, she had only ever been to New York twice before; once as a child on a trip with her mom and the second time was to see her half brother, Tony Stark. It wasn't that she didn't like New York because it was, well New York, it was just so big compared to the little town she grew up in.

She smiled when she saw Happy waiting for her besides the car as she walked out of the airport. He held up a sign that read: Ella Stark, causing her to laugh.

"Happy! You have no idea how great it is to see you!" She greeted him, giving the man a hug.

"Hello Miss Stark, how was the flight?" Happy asked politely when they separated.

"How many times have I told you to call me Ella?" She said shaking her head at him, "the flight was fine; not including the guy next to me who snores so loud I think I'm deaf!" Both of them laughed.

"You should have taken up Tony's offer and taken the Stark Industries jet." Happy replied knowingly.

"My last name might be Stark but there is no way I will ever get use to Tony's lifestyle. I like normal, and normal people fly commercially."

Happy finished loading her luggage into the back of the car before opening the door for Ella to get in. She smiled at him before relaxing into the soft leather seats; it was a welcome relief after a four hour flight.

The city was still in disarray after the events of the alien invasion only a few months ago and there were pictures of her brother's Iron Man suit and all the other avengers plastered all over the city. Ella shook her head, it wasn't that she didn't like superheroes, they saved New York and the world after all but she couldn't help but stereotype them all to be just like her brother; arrogant and self-centred. It wasn't a fair assumption but the only superhero she had to go on was Tony and he wasn't exactly the best role model out there.

"I'm sure Mr Stark will be pleased to see you." Happy spoke up bringing Ella out of her thoughts.

"That's assuming he remembered I'm coming." She remarked, her Stark sarcasm shining through. Her and Tony didn't have the best of relationships not that anyone could blame them. Ella was the result of Tony's father, Howard having a one night stand. Tony didn't even know Ella existed until he found her birth certificate amongst some of his father's things. The first time they met Ella was a kid of 14. They got along well considering their shared love of technology and computers and their mutual hate of Howard. After they met they spoke on the phone whenever Tony was available considering he was taking over Stark industries. Ella was busy with school, Tony offered to pay for Ella to go to one of the best private schools in America but both Ella and her mom declined. Her mom was a teacher who didn't want Ella growing up in the spotlight; she wanted Ella to have a normal life and experiences instead of having everything given to her because of who she was.

All of that changed now, Ella's mom passed away a few years ago. Tony offered to come and get her saying she could live with him. Ella decided against it saying she wanted to finish school and make her mom proud. She is now 22 and fresh out of university; she promised Tony she would spend the summer with him in New York while he was rebuilding Stark Tower. Not that she would ever admit it to anyone but she was looking forward to spending time with her brother and getting to know the other avengers.

"Miss Stark? Are you going to answer your phone?" Happy asked Ella was so wrapped up in her thoughts she wasn't even aware it was ringing. She rummaged around in her bag for it, typically finding it right at the bottom.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hey, you still at the airport?" Pepper Potts voice asked from the other end of the phone.

"Hey Pep, no I am on my way to Stark Tower." Ella and Pepper became very close friends shortly after Tony had introduced them. Ella was more than happy Tony finally figured out Pepper was the girl for him.

"Fancy some lunch first?"

"Sure, I'll meet you at your office?" Ella confirmed, waiting for Pepper's reply before hanging up.

"Change of plan Happy, can we go to Stark industries instead?"

/

"Pepper!" She shouted once Ella had spotted the red head. Pepper smiled wrapping the young woman in a tight hug.

"Ella, it's lovely to see you! You look amazing!" Pepper gushed tugging playful at Ella's curly dark brown hair. Ella smiled shyly at her, not use to the compliments.

"How about you? CEO? That's brilliant, Pep."

"I know, your brother has finally gotten his act together, it only took a small push and a whole team of superheroes." Pepper laughed.

The girls ordered their meals in; for Ella it was a burger with a coke and for Pepper it was sushi. The sat and talked about everything from Ella's school to Tony to the avengers.

"So you sticking around for a while?" Pepper asked dabbing her mouth with a napkin.

"Yeah, for the summer anyway. I needed to get away from everything for a bit."

"What does that mean? Are you okay?" Pepper asked worriedly

"Yeah, im fine! I just meant I needed some head space, I don't know whether I want to go home after the summer or start a fresh somewhere else, you know?" Ella tried to explain, living at home was hard ever since her mom died and she just got out of a relationship. The idea of going back to that wasn't appealing to her at the moment.

"Well living with four superheroes and two master assassins, I don't know how much head space you're going to get." Pepper laughed.

"Yeah, I am kind of nervous about that, please tell me all superheroes aren't like my brother!" Ella joked causing Pepper to laugh.

"You have nothing to worry about; Thor's not there right now as he had some things on Asgard to take care of. Natasha and Clint mainly keep to themselves. Bruce is great, you will get along well because of the science stuff and Steve; well I don't think anyone can dislike Steve."

"What makes you say that?"

"The guy is a gentleman, literally. Cap is a good guy, him and Tony clash quite a bit though."

"I like this guy already." Ella laughed.

/

"That's impressive," Ella gaped as she looked out the window to see Stark Tower, some of which was still undergoing repairs. It was breath-taking, the building itself was modern and sleek and so very Tony.

"Wait until you see the inside." Happy laughed as he led her into the tower. She followed him blindly trying to take everything in.

"Jarvis, what floor is Tony on?" Happy asked once they were in the elevator, Ella knew what Jarvis was that still didn't stop her from jumping slightly at the disembodied voice's reply:

"Mr Stark is currently in the kitchen, sir. Floor 3"

Happy pushed the button for the third floor and the pair of them settled into a comfortable silence as the elevator ascended.

The first thing Ella heard as she exited the elevator was the sound of her brother's voice.

"Seriously!? You need to get out in the world again! Both of you!" Tony shouted.

"Back off Stark! This has nothing to do with you!" Another masculine voice answered him.

"Tony, just leave it, Steve is right it's our choice." A slightly more timid voice answered, it sounded slightly more fatherly.

"Come on Bruce-" Tony was cut off by Ella fake coughing by the doorway of the kitchen. All three people turned around to look at her. Tony looked surprised; Bruce who was shorter than the other two carefully removed his glasses looking confused. Steve looked slightly sheepish, a small blush appearing on his neck.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't that wayward daughter." Tony smirked at her

"That's rich coming from the prodigal son." Ella retorted.

"Hey you!" Tony laughed before engulfing her in a hug, Ella wrapped her arms around him "I thought you weren't coming until Wednesday?" Tony asked once they have separated.

"It is Wednesday" Ella laughed before addressing the other avengers in the room. "Hi, sorry to interrupt…whatever you were in the middle of." She said sheepishly.

"Ella, this is Capiscle and my Science Bro, guys this is Ella Stark, my sister." Tony introduced them.

"You have a sister?" Steve asked in disbelief.

"Half sister, same dad. It's a long story." Ella explained.

"Well I'm Captain Steve Rogers, ma'am, it's a pleasure to meet you." Steve introduced shaking her hand. Ella had to admit he was handsome with his icy blue eyes and blond hair. His well defined muscles were a bonus too.

"Its Ella and the pleasure is all mine." She beamed at him causing Steve to blush.

"Dr Bruce Banner." Bruce introduced, shaking her hand as well.

"It's nice to meet you." Ella smiled.

"So is this all your stuff?" Tony asked, eyeing the one suitcase and bag by the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, I pack light." Ella replied lightly. Tony laughed muttering something about how women never pack light.

"Alright kiddo, let's show you around." Tony gestured slinging an arm around her shoulders and guiding her out of the kitchen.

"It was great to meet you." She called back, throwing the other two avengers a smile.

/

So what do you think? Favourite line/scene?

Please review they keep me writing and mean the world to me. If you follow or favourite this story a review would be great too – even if its only one word.

Next time: Settling into avengers tower and a run in with a certain Captain Rogers

Let's see if we can get 3 reviews before the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews and follows they made my day! I wanted to update this chapter today because I just couldn't wait any longer! HEHE! Hope you like it!

/

"So welcome to Stark Tower!" Tony said spreading his arms out wide. Ella just laughed at his antics. Tony was giving her a tour of the tower. The bottom floor consisted of a garage which housed all of Tony expensive cars along with a vintage motorbike which was revealed to belong to Steve and a black convertible which belonged to Clint. The floor directly above the garage was the gym. It was there they found Clint and Natasha sparring with each other.

"Hey assassins this is my sister Ella, Ella meet the assassins." Tony introduced. Both Clint and Natasha glared at him.

"Hi, I'm Clint Barton, this is Natasha Romanoff." Clint said, introducing them properly.

"Nice to meet you both." Ella said politely slightly unnerved by the trained killers.

"Welcome to the mad house mini-Stark." Clint smirked

"As long as you're not as bad as Tony I think you will do fine here." Natasha said, speaking for the first time.

"I'm not as bad as him. Unlike my brother I didn't grow up with a rich kid's lifestyle."

"In that case I think it will be nice to have another girl around here, especially one who can give Tony a run for his money." Natasha smirked.

"Hey now, as the owner of this building I strictly forbid you from ganging up on me." Tony cut in.

"And as someone who can kill you with their bare hands I'm allow to ignore that rule." Natasha replied curtly. Ella and Clint chuckled at that. Tony swallowed thickly.

"Noted. So Ella, lots to see." He replied, steering her out of the gym.

The next floor was the kitchen and living room area. It was an open plan area with full length glass windows covering 2 of the four walls. Tony assured Ella the glass was mirrored so she could see out by no-one on the street could see in. The next two floors were clearly for Tony and Bruce. Both were labs with a large room of computers and other tech in them that Ella couldn't identify.

"We are going to skip a couple of floors, you can explore them later." Tony explained as they entered the elevator again.

"What's on them?"

"Just stuff. A cinema, an office in case I need to work from home and a meeting room in case of Avengers business." Tony explained. "So do you want to see your room?"

It was only then Ella noticed the remaining buttons on the elevator. Each button was designed with a different avenger in mind. Tony followed her gazed, noticing what she was looking at.

"I'm a busy guy I can't always remember what floor belongs to whom so this way seemed easier."

The first button was blue with a lighting bolt carved into it; clearly that was Thor's floor. Next was a green button was Ella guessed was Bruce's what with him being the Hulk and all. The next floor button was black with a silver bow and spider in the centre, it appeared Natasha and Clint shared a floor. Next was one she recognised easily as Steve's floor, the button was a mini image of his shield.

"Pepper and I have the top floor of course because it's our building." Tony said pointing towards their button. It was red and gold like Tony's Iron Man suit but had a red hot chilli pepper in the middle of it. "This is your floor button, I wasn't sure what to design it as but I know you like music so the musical note seemed like the best choice."

"Tony it's amazing, thank you. But you know I am only staying for the summer, you are going to have to change it once I leave." Ella smiled. She had played the guitar from an early age and found it was a great way to relive stress; it also gave her the space she needed to think. Well that and running.

The elevator opened to what would be her floor for the next few months. It was furnished with cream walls and a plush carpet. It was homely yet professional at the same thing and Ella loved it. She left Tony's side to look around. There was a small living area and kitchen, with a guitar resting on a stand by the TV. The first room she came too was full of Stark tech. Computers and other gadgets filled the room along with a desk.

"Yeah, I was hoping you might work at Stark industries for a bit. Just for computer tech stuff. I only employ the best and your hacking skills are the most impressive I have seen, not including myself of course." Tony explained as he walked into the office. Ella was great with computers but not so good at the engineering side of things. At the age of 17 she might have accidentally hacked into the CIA's database, safe to say her mom was not best pleased.

"Tony you don't have to do that, I am more than capable of finding my own job." Ella explained.

"Hey you would be doing me a favour, just until I find a replacement." Tony asked giving her his best puppy dog look.

"Fine!" Ella laughed knowing he wasn't going to give up, it would also give her something to do while she was in New York.

Ella moved onto the next room which turned out to be a bathroom. The next door she came to was her bedroom. It was also decorated in natural colours with a massive bed. There was a dresser against the right wall and off to the left there was another door. This one led to a walk-in-wardrobe. Ella stared at it open mouthed.

"Pepper's idea, she really wants a shopping partner." Tony explained seeing his sisters face.

Without any warning Ella launched herself at her older brother, "I love it! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She squealed almost crushing him with the hug.

"Can't. Breathe." Tony joked. Ella smiled shyly before releasing him.

"Hey Tony do you think we are going to be okay? Living together I mean. We haven't really seen that much of each other." Ella asked, the question had been on her mind a lot lately, especially on the plane to New York.

"We agreed not to hate each other because of the mistakes our father made. Are we like every other family? No, we're not. Hell how many other families have a Hulk? We are way cooler than every other family."

"Tony, I'm serious."

"So am I. We aren't the most conventional family and I will never admit it to anyone but after everything we have been through the avengers they are sort like the family I never asked for and you are a part of that." Tony replied looking directly at her. Ella smiled at him. "I got to go and meet Pepper, you need anything?"

"Na, I'm good." Ella replied "Go have fun."

/

Ella had unpacked her few belongings, she would have to make a trip with Pepper soon. It was only when all her clothes were up in her new closet that Ella realised she really didn't pack much stuff at all. Her stomach started to rumble, reminding Ella that the last time she ate was the burger she had for an early lunch with Pepper. It was now half 5 in the afternoon. Well no wonder she was hungry.

She grabbed her phone before walking to the elevator. Ella pushed the button to the kitchen and waited, humming a song as she did. The kitchen was empty now, not an avenger in sight. Ella walked over to the cupboards opening them. Her plan was to eat the first thing she could find that she didn't have to cook. She was rubbish at cooking, the last time she tried her flatmate had to get a new oven, safe to say Ella decided against cooking now at all costs.

There was nothing in the cupboards except a few boxes of pop tarts. Opening the fridge she found the same thing, only a small block of cheese and a bottle of mineral water was left.

"You won't find anything edible, it's Tony's turn to go food shopping and he really hates it." A voice from behind her explained causing her to jump and bang her head as she tried to look up. "Are you okay?" Steve asked as he came into her view.

"Yeah, that was stupid." Ella replied rubbing her head. "So what do you guys do for food?"

"Normally we get take-out until Pepper convinces Tony to go shopping or someone gets so annoyed they do the shopping for him." Steve explained in an amused tone.

"Sounds like Tony. Hey do you know anywhere good to eat? I'm new around here and I'm starving." Ella asked, as if on cue her stomach rumbled causing both Ella and Steve to laugh.

"There is this great café a few blocks away, quiet. The best brownies around, I could take you if you like?" Steve asked shyly. Ella thought it was adorable. Having dinner with Captain America, what kind of girl would refuse an offer like that?!

"Sure, I'd love too. Just let me grab a jacket."

"That's a good idea; meet you back here in 5?"

"It's a date." Ella replied before realising what she said, "I mean it's not a date, I mean-" Ella blushed. Steve laughed.

"See you in a sec." Steve replied before winking at her, Captain America just winked at her. Wow, did she sound like one of the girls in his fan club. She really needed to get a grip; she had never been that girl. Taking a deep breath she went to retrieve her jacket. _It's just one of your brother's friends! Relax!_

/

So what do you think? Favourite line/scene?

p.s. I want to point out this story will be a long one so I am planning to not rush into the development of steve/ella's relationship but trust me, I think you will like it! I have to mix the action and plot lines in there too!

Please review! Let's see if we can get at least 3 before the next chapter which should be up on Tuesday/Wednesday.


	3. Chapter 3

So you guys are all AMAZING! Thanks so much for the reviews, follows and favourites – they mean so much too me and really do keep me writing.

Hope you like this next chapter!

/

"These brownies are so good!" Ella sighed as she popped another brownie into her mouth. She was sitting with Steve in a small corner of the café to avoid anyone from recognising him as Captain America. They had finished off their meals and were now on dessert, Ella had to admit the brownies were amazing. They had little white chocolate chips in them and were soft and gooey. Steve watched her with an amused look.

"Yeah, I found this place a few weeks after the attack on New York and I have to admit the brownies are pretty good here." Steve agreed, taking another brownie for himself.

"So tell me about yourself, Captain."

"What would you like to know?" Now that was a question, what would Ella like to know? Something about Steve just fascinated her, maybe it was the fact due to his 40s life he was a proper gentleman or maybe it was because he was reserved and didn't use his superhero abilities to gain stuff like Tony did or at least use too.

"So you grew up in Brooklyn? In the 40s?" Ella prompted

"That's correct, before the serum I was a little guy, got beat up a lot." Steve paused reminiscing about his past, "that didn't stop me from wanting to do my bit for my country and join the army. A great man gave me the chance to do just that and so Captain America was born."

"That's amazing, really. I think the best part about it is that the serum didn't change anything about the man you were inside, you know. It just helped you realise what was there all along." Ella summarised, she found Steve's story inspiring, the guy was frozen in ice for 70 years and did he complain about it? Hell no, he adapted and moved on.

"What about you?" Steve asked as he took a sip of his water.

"What about me?"

"You're Tony's sister, that's got to be a pretty interesting story?"

"Not really, I mean Tony's dad slept with my mom. He wasn't exactly thrilled about my existence; he barely had enough time to be a dad to Tony let alone another child who was the product of a drunken night." Ella explained, "My mom was great, she raised me by herself. She worked two jobs to put me through school, and never complained about it once."

"She sounds like an amazing woman." Steve said

"Yeah she was the best. Anyway Tony found my birth certificate in Howard's things and decided to pay us a visit. I was about 14 at the time; it was a bit of a shock. Tony is great, I thought he would resent me at first but he didn't. He said he can't hate me over a mistake that Howard made."

"That was very grown up of him, so how come you weren't living together before now?"

"Tony offered, more than once but my mom didn't want me to grow up with that kind of a life. She wanted me to be normal and have regular childhood experiences without the media following me everywhere. I also didn't want to move schools until I finished university."

"What did you study?" Steve asked

"Computer science."

"Well you're a Stark so that figures." They both laughed at his comment. Ella decided she really liked Steve; he was a great guy and the type of friend you could also rely on. He was a true gentleman and easy to talk too.

"I don't think I can look at another brownie, let alone eat another." Steve laughed pushing his plate aside. Ella nodded.

"I know, I think I will need to take an extra long run tomorrow morning."

"You run?" Steve asked

"Sometimes, it's more for when I need to think than for exercise. It's the only think that works, or playing the guitar."

"You can play the guitar, that's impressive." Steve commented

"I have had lessons since I was 3. My mom was a music teacher; I kind of got roped into it." Ella laughed, "What about you, what does the great Captain America do with his spare time?"

"I sketch normally or train. It's great for relaxing, especially after a mission." Steve smiled

"You draw? I think you bet me on the impressive scale." Ella laughed, "You have to show me your drawings sometimes; I bet they're great."

"Only if you play a song for me?" Steve suggested

"Deal."

Ella didn't know how long there sat there, Steve's blue eyes were mesmerising. He truly was a handsome man; even the jeans and checked shirt he wore seemed to emphasis his muscles.

"You guys ready for the bill?" A waitress asked breaking their eye contact. Steve and Ella both blushed before Steve accepted the check. He glanced over it before reaching into his pocket to pull out some money.

"Let me get it" Ella asked but Steve was quicker, he looked at her once before handing the money back to the waitress.

"It's on me." Steve smiled; Ella blushed again before grabbing her jacket and following Steve out.

"Thank you." She replied once they were on the street

"My pleasure Miss Stark" Steve replied as he offered her his arm. Ella smiled at him before accepting, looping her arm through his.

/

Ella showered and changed into her pyjamas, after the flight to New York and dinner with Steve she was so tired. Her plan was to crawl under her covers and not move until at least 9 tomorrow morning.

"Hey Jarvis?" She called out to the AI

"Yes Miss Stark" The AI's British voice responded

"Can you play some Olly Murs please?"

Olly Murs was a guilty pleasure of hers; he was a British singer whose music Ella discovered while looking for a new song to play on her guitar. After listening to one of his songs she was instantly hooked. She hummed to herself as the opening notes of 'Sliding Doors' filled the room.

She had just finished rubbing off her make-up when she heard the elevator stop on her floor and the doors open. She walked around the corner to find Pepper smiling at her.

"Hey just thought I would make sure you are settling in okay?" Pepper asked

"Yeah, I think I am really going to like it in New York." Ella smiled

"I noticed you coming in with Steve earlier." Pepper prompted

"Yeah, there was no food left in the kitchen so we decided to grab something to eat." Ella shrugged

"Don't worry, I won't tell Tony." Pepper joked

"It's not like that, we are just friends."

"Ella you only moved in this morning and you're friends already?"

"Its like you said, no one can dislike Steve." Ella insisted.

"Okay I will drop it. For now." Pepper sighed, "Oh hey, the reason I actually came down here was to see if you wanted to go shopping on Saturday?"

"Sure that sounds fun; I could use some new clothes. My closet is looking kind of pathetic." Ella laughed.

"Great! Well I guess I shall see you tomorrow at breakfast?" Pepper asked

"Breakfast?"

"Yeah we normally all have breakfast and dinner together; it's a thing Tony insisted on." Pepper laughed making her way back to the elevator, "Night Ella."

"Goodnight Pepper." She smiled climbing into bed,

"Jarvis can you turn the lights off please?" Ella asked from under the covers.

/

So what do you think? Favourite line/scene? I like it know so I can put more scenes like that into the story :p

Please review – think we can get at least another 3?

Next update should be Friday or Saturday!


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you all so much for the reviews and support! You made my day so I had to post early! Hope you like this chapter! Next time is the start of the major plotline and therefore the action!

Anyone else excited to see the new Captain America 2 trailer they are releasing today? It's only a teaser trailer but I can't wait so it felt right to update this in celebration of it! HAHA!

Anyway on with the story!

/

"Miss Stark?" Jarvis' voice filled the room. Ella mumbled something before turning over in bed, planning on get a few more hours sleep.

"MISS STARK!" Jarvis called again, this time louder. Ella bolted up in bed.

"Wha-?" Ella started

"Miss Potts thought you might need a wake up call for breakfast." The AI explained.

Ella groaned as the curtains began to open, light streaming in through the windows. She shoved the covers away from her body before stumbling to the bathroom to take a shower. Ella was slightly nervous about having breakfast with all the avengers – minus Thor who was still away on Asgard. It would be the first time they would all be in the same room together. Ella chose to wear a pair of jeans along with her brown boots and a white vest top. Sighing at her uncooperative hair she decided to leave her curls free, they reached to just below her shoulders. She quickly added her make-up before making her way to the elevator.

Everyone was already in the kitchen by the time she got there. Pepper was in the kitchen with Tony arguing about the amount of pepper to put on the eggs. Bruce was at the head of the table reading over a file, Ella guessed it was to do with the work him and Tony did in the labs. Steve was sat next to him stirring his coffee. Clint and Natasha were sat on the opposite side of the table, deep in conversation.

"Good Morning." Ella said as she took a seat next to Clint.

"Mini-Stark!" Clint declared, Ella looked at him sceptically – apparently that nickname was sticking.

"Morning." Natasha said giving the brunette a small smile before taking a sip of her drink. Steve smiled at her warmly and Bruce lifted his head from his papers to nod in her direction.

"Great Ella you're up. How about working in the lab with me and Bruce today, I need your help on a new program I am running?" Tony asked as he entered the kitchen with the first two plates, putting them in front of the two assassins.

"Tony! Let the girl have breakfast first!" Pepper chastised him as she set down a plate of eggs in front of Bruce and Steve. Both thanked her politely.

"It's fine Pep," She called to the red head who had disappeared back into the kitchen, "Sure I can do that," She said now addressing Tony.

"No kid, save yourself." Clint muttered next to her. Ella laughed.

"Is it that bad?" She asked quietly.

"You have no idea" Was his simple reply.

"Hey I will have you know that working with me and Bruce is an honour!" Tony announced, pretending to be offended.

"Its fine I have nothing else to do today, I need to explore the city at some point but that can wait." Ella said making a mental note to ask Pepper if she was free to show her around some time.

"I can have Happy take you, he'll show you around." Tony offered

"No thanks driving around in a limo isn't my idea of 'exploring'" Ella replied.

"I'll take you…if you want that is?" Steve spoke up

"Really? That would be great" Pepper just looked at Ella from across the table, giving her a knowing look. Ella ignored it.

"Wait you're going to let Capiscle show you around? I guarantee you will get lost within five minutes of leaving the building." Tony said

"It's not that hard to figure out Tony, besides this tower is big enough to see from miles around. I do actually know my way around New York just fine." Steve argued. Ella was about to cut in, worried about whether this would lead to a fight when Bruce stopped her.

"Don't worry; this is their usual morning routine. When Cap and Tony argue its like there way of saying they love each other."

"Yeah and Cap will walk away if Tony goes too far. The guy has like super self control." Clint added shovelling more eggs onto his plate.

"Alright boys, knock it off!" Natasha said as they continued to fight. Both stopped to like at the assassin. Steve blushed slightly and Tony took a sip of his coffee.

"It pains me to admit it but you might be right Spangles. I mean at least if she gets into trouble you'd be able to get her out of it." Tony sighed.

"Whoa, hold on, trouble? What makes you think I would get into trouble?" Ella asked

"Simply because you're a Stark. That's kind of what we do." Tony explained.

"Stark by name not nature!" Ella argued. All the avengers and Pepper just sat around amused by the banter between the siblings.

"Sorry Mini-Stark but that statement kind of proves you wrong." Clint smirked. Ella blushed at the statement.

"Right I have to get to the office for a meeting, so I will see you guys later." Pepper announced as she stood up giving Tony a peck on the lips before leaving.

"I am so glad you realised she was the right girl for you." Ella sighed smiling at her brother.

"You're one to talk. Your taste in guys sucks." Tony jested

"I resent that comment"

"What ever happened to that guy you were dating? What's his name? Max? Mike?"

"You mean Darren?" Ella asked

"That's the one!"

"Yeah, that didn't work out."

"I rest my case. Right see you guys later, if you need me…ask someone else." Tony replied before leaving the table. Ella guessed he was going to his lab to work on something.

/

Ella had been in the lab for 4 hours. 4 hours and 8 minutes to be exact. She was going crazy; she loved science as much as the next guy but she needed a break. She had been sat staring at a computer screen for hours and her eyes were starting to hurt. She rubbed them furiously before tapping a few more keys. She needed to get out but every time she tried Tony or Bruce gave her another job.

Bruce was a quiet person and someone Ella instantly looked up to; no one would ever guess this guy could turn into the Hulk. Bruce was one of the nicest people she had ever met and the guy was a genius. Sighing Ella stood up from her computer, feeling her muscles cramp in protest.

"Where are you off to?" Tony asked raising his eyes off the metal he was welding together.

"Getting coffee" Ella replied, anything to give her eyes a break. Tony nodded once before returning to his work. Ella loved her brother but she did wonder how Bruce didn't go stir-crazy cooped up in a lab with him all day.

She exited the lab not really looking where she was going, instead blinking rapidly to try and get more moisture into her eyes. She walked right into a solid structure that she was pretty sure was a wall. That was until she felt two strong muscular arms around her waist, preventing her fall. She looked up to see she was inches away from Steve Rogers who still held her in his arms.

"Uh…Sorry, are you okay?" He asked blushing as he retracted his arms. Ella instantly missed the feeling but pushed the though aside.

"Yeah, it was my fault. I wasn't looking." She explained, "What are you doing down here anyway?" She asked curious as to why the Captain would want to visit the 'Science Bros Domain'.

"Oh, I just wanted to see how you were doing down here. Clint thought you would be half-dead by now." Steve laughed. Ella blushed; he came down there just to see her?

"I think I am the Science Bros next victim." She said causing them both to laugh.

"Lucky for you I have had some experience with rescuing damsels in distress." Steve joked

"Really Captain? What makes you think I couldn't rescue myself?"

"Nothing… I mean you're more than capable of….I just meant…" Steve stammered

"Relax Cap, I'm messing with you." Ella laughed.

"Ella? I need you to run this server!" Tony called out from the lab. Ella wasn't even sure if he knew if she was actually making coffee like she said then she wouldn't be able to hear him.

"Save me!" She muttered to Steve

"We could make a run for it?" He suggested

"We couldn't!" Ella questioned, considering her options. Steve looked behind her to see Tony and Bruce working hard, oblivious to the conversation outside.

"They aren't looking." Steve prompted stretching out his hand for her to take. Ella looked behind her, feeling a bubble of excitement in her stomach. She grabbed his hand and they made a dash for the elevator.

/

So what do you think? Favourite line/scene? Your feedback means the world to me!

You guys are so amazing about reviewing so please review!

Thanks so much! Next chapter will be up Saturday/Sunday and then the plotline really starts and the action begins!


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you so much for the reviews! Hope you like this chapter! Start of the major plot and let me tell you, you guys are in for a bumpy ride! :P

Disclaimer: I still own nothing but Ella, and I never will. In my dreams it's another story though!

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE CAPTAIN AMERICA 2 TRAILER? I'm in love all over again!

/

"So what are we doing down here?" Ella asked as the elevator opened up to reveal the garage.

"Well I did say I would show you around the city and there is no time like the present." Steve replied walking over to his motorbike which was parked at the far right hand corner of the garage.

"You actually expect me to get on that thing." Ella said eyeing the bike wearily. She had never ridden a motorbike before and so couldn't help the small bubble of fear that rose up.

"You're a Stark who doesn't like fast vehicles?"

"No, I just prefer them with four wheels."

"Ella, I wouldn't let anything happen to you." Steve said softly. Ella swore her heartbeat increased. Of course he would let anything happen to her, he was Captain America after all. It wasn't just that though, there was something in his eyes that made Ella believe him.

"Okay, I trust you."

She walked over to the bike. Steve got on first, starting it up. He held out his hand for Ella to climb on, using his shoulders to steady herself. She wrapped her arms around his waist, feeling his muscles beneath the t-shirt he wore. Steve gave her one last reassuring smile before setting off.

They spent all day exploring the city, neither one really taking any notice of the buildings or places instead just enjoying the company. Steve was unlike any other guy Ella had ever met. He was genuine and sweet, he made her laugh. He truly was an amazing person. Ella would never admit to it but she maybe developing a slight crush on the Captain, just a teeny tiny one. (Yeah, right!)

"So what made you take up Tony's offer of staying in New York?" Steve asked. They were walking down a random street Ella couldn't remember the name of. Stark tower could be seen in the distance not that either one noticed it.

"Well I guess I needed to get away for a bit, you know? Clear my head and I finished up school so I figured a break would do me good." Ella laughed slightly

"Why did you need to get away?"

"Well, I broke up with my boyfriend and things got awkward." Ella cringed slightly; this was not a topic she wanted to discuss with anyone. Especially not Steve.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, he was sleeping with my best friend."

They both looked away awkwardly, neither sure of what to say.

"He is an idiot." Steve said softly. Ella laughed

"You have never met him"

"I don't need to. You're a beautiful, smart girl, if he can't see that then he is an idiot." Steve said causing them both to blush.

/

"Hey where did you get to earlier?" Tony asked Ella as he entered the living room. He had called a meeting of everyone in the house though no-one had any idea why. "Getting coffee took a really long time." He continued.

Ella stumbled; she had yet to come up with an excuse for leaving without saying anything.

"Never mind, we have bigger things to worry about." Tony said after a moment.

"What are you talking about, Stark?" Natasha asked from her place on the couch next to Clint.

"I'm talking about this." Tony replied dropping today's newspaper onto the coffee table for all the avengers and Ella to see. The main headline glared back at them:

**AVENGERS: HEROES OR TROUBLE? By Simon Bates**

"What?" Clint asked bluntly. Steve took the paper of the table, flipping through the pages until he found the article.

"_The world has been declared safe ever since the Avengers saved it from an alien invasion a few months ago but now we have to wonder if that is really the case. How do we know we can trust them? They called themselves heroes yet they hid out and try to keep a low profile. Perhaps the other Avengers, much like Mr Stark are only dressing up in costumes for their own personal gain and have no interest in keeping the world safe from harm. This leads us to question whether they are in fact heroes at all._

_Since the incident of New York which the government has been trying to cover up the avengers haven't been 'in action' since. They have made this world the complete opposite of safe. They brought an alien invasion to our doorstep so what's next? What if the next time the Avengers can't stop it? What right do they have to be called Heroes? The Avengers are nothing but trouble and I fear as I am sure the rest of the world does that the worst is yet to come."_

"That's ridiculous! We didn't start the invasion that was all Loki! Did they forget we were the ones risking our lives to save them?!" Clint asked angrily, Natasha mumbled something in Russian next to him.

"This isn't right, it can't be." Ella said taking the paper from Steve's hands to re-read the article herself.

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked her

"Didn't you see the footage from after the attack, the world was grateful to you. More than that, you guys saved everyone's lives." Ella explained.

"Well I don't know who Simon Bates is but I want a word with him." Tony fumed from the corner. "After everything we have done for these people!"

"Tony calm down!" Steve ordered. "Ella's right, we need to get to the bottom of this." He finished with all the authority of Captain America. His tone made Ella's knees wobble slightly. Was Captain America always that sexy?

"I think we need to call Fury." Bruce spoke up, Clint nodded next to him.

"If anyone can get to the bottom of this it's Fury."

"I already called him; he will be here first thing tomorrow." Natasha cut in, slipping a phone back into her pocket.

"What? How? You have been sitting on the couch the entire time." Ella asked in disbelief.

"Don't question the ninja assassin!" Tony replied causing everyone in the room to give a little chuckle.

/

The avengers decided to spend the rest of the day watching movies in the entertainment room, according to Bruce it was something Tony started when they all first started living together. They would take it in turns to pick out a movie and watch it. Tony would normally complain about everyone's movie choices but his own but they all thought something to take their minds off that article would be a good thing. Ella knew they would never admit to it, but that article shook them all. She knew deep down that not everyone thought like it, that article was a cheap trick but it would take more than that to ruin the avengers and their good name.

It was Natasha who picked tonight's movie, _Salt. _Tony mumbled something about it being predictable for a ninja assassin to pick that kind of film but he promptly shut up thanks to Pepper slapping his arm. The avengers plus Pepper and Ella all settled down to watch the movie. Bruce came in with a pile of pillows and blankets, dropping them onto the floor for people to use. Steve and Clint were in charge of the food, they returned with 4 different bowls of popcorn and a tub of ice cream.

By the time Tony asked Jarvis to play the movie they all where sorted and comfortable. Pepper and Tony shared one of the two armchairs in the room; they looked slightly cramped causing Pepper to be all but sitting on Tony's lap not that either minded. They had a red blanket covering them and were sharing one of the bowls of popcorn. Clint was sprawled out on the couch with his legs in Natasha's lap. He had a pillow beneath his head and was tossing popcorn in the air before catching it in his mouth. Next to Natasha was Bruce who was watching the movie with a somewhat bored expression on his face. Ella had claimed the last armchair for herself after Steve's instance that she could have it. She was wrapped in a large purple blanket, curled up so her feet were tucked under her. Steve sat on a mountain of pillows on the floor with his back resting against the armchair Ella was sat in, he had another bowl of popcorn in his lap which Ella would occasional steal from. Ella spent most of the movie explaining things to Steve, especially about the visual effects not that she minded. He picked things up quickly and if she were being honest she found his innocence of the 21st century endearing. She spent the rest of the movie studying his features. The way his eyes light up in surprise as the movie threw in another twist, the shape of his nose, the strong jaw line. She didn't even realise she was doing it until Steve turned slightly to offer her some popcorn. Ella blushed before accepting some and returning her eyes to the screen. There _was definitely no way she was checking out Captain America,_ she glanced back at Steve, _well maybe just a little_.

/

So what do you think? Favourite line/scene? Hope you like the start of the plotline! It only gets crazier from here!

Please review! They do mean the world to me and keep me updating! Thank you so much for the love and support guys!

Next update will be Sunday or Monday!


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews, so I wanted to get this chapter out today because I am astounded by the support and love for this story so I want to make sure I make you all happy! Let me tell you this story is currently 80 pages long on word and still growing!

Without further ado – I give you chapter 6

/

The sun had only just begun to shine yet all the avengers and Ella were up. No-one slept well the previous night and it had nothing to do with the late night movie watching. Each person was worrying about the article and whether people actually agreed with Mr Bates. Ella and the avengers had gathered in the meeting room in the tower and were now waiting for Fury's arrival to discuss the matter at hand yet Tony was less than pleased at the idea of letting the director of SHIELD into his home.

"It's like letting an outsider into a top super secret clubhouse. You just shouldn't do it!" He exclaimed from where he was sitting at the head of the table. The room was very vast, 3 of the four walls were made up of windows with a massive table in the centre of the room where all the avengers and Ella were currently sitting.

"Technically Ella is an outsider, you let her in. Pepper too." Clint reasoned

"They don't count they're family."

Steve and Ella shook their heads as the pair continued to talk about what features a super secret clubhouse should have. They were sat at the other end of the table. Bruce was reading that morning's newspaper hoping not to see another article like the one from yesterday. Natasha had elected to wait for Fury to arrive before escorting him into the meeting room.

They waited at least another 10 minutes before Fury walked into the room; he was wearing his SHIELD uniform, black coat and all with a briefcase in one hand.

"Avengers" He greeted curtly, ever the professional.

"Let's cut to the chase and you can explain what's going on here, Nick." Tony replied placing a hand on Fury's shoulder.

Fury glared at him menacingly before looking pointedly at the hand on his shoulder. Tony smiled sheepishly before removing it, "its Director Fury to you Stark. She is not an avenger and doesn't have clearance to be present during this meeting." He finished pointing at Ella.

"Ella is Tony's sister and a part of this too." Steve replied with authority.

"He's right. Ella lives here too so she deserves to know if this is anything to worry about." Natasha added. Ella stared at her in shock as to why the red head was defending her presence in the group.

"Besides I will only tell her later anyway, Pepper too." Tony cut in.

"Fine but Miss Stark is your responsibility." Fury relented. The avengers nodded in agreement.

"First off I feel I should inform you that Mr Bates has been on SHIELD's radar since the battle of New York. He is a main supporter of a group of hero haters." Fury started

"Hero haters?" Bruce asked

"It's no surprise. The world has changed, we can't cover thing up the way we use to, especially not since Stark declared himself as Iron Man." Fury explained

"Hey! I saved people, they wanted to thank me." Tony defended

"You gave them a target. You gave heroes a face and therefore gave people someone to hate. You are all people with remarkable abilities, not everyone is okay with that."

"So you're saying there are people out there who would prefer it if we didn't help protect them?" Steve asked

"I'm saying the world needs you, whether people see that or not. Most do, however a small group of individuals don't see things that way. These hero haters are worried about what would happen should your abilities end up in the wrong hands. "

"But the avengers are heroes. New York wouldn't even exist right now if it wasn't for them!" Ella cut in

"I completely agree Miss Stark but not everyone does." Fury replied.

"So this Simon Bates guy is apart of this group?" Natasha asked getting everyone in the room back to the subject at hand.

"They call themselves Lumia. According to their website they plan to enlighten the public on things they should know but don't." Fury said reading from a file in his hand.

"What kind of name is that?" Tony burst out laughing, "The avengers is way cooler!" Everyone glared at him.

"They started off with conspiracy theories, ramblings but it seems they are upping their game. Bates isn't alone in this; he is a college drop out. We haven't been able to identify the masterminds or locate Bates."

"Hold on, you said they had a website right? Is Bates in charge of it?" Ella asked

"Yeah we believe so but no one has been able to track it down to a source." Fury explained

"Can I give it a try? Hacking is kind of my thing and I want to help."

"You really think you will be able to find this guy's location when not even my top computer specialists could?" Fury demanded

"Well I am a Stark; we have a knack of doing the impossible." Ella challenged causing Tony to smirk and everyone in the room to give a small chuckle at her fiery determination.

"Fine, see what you can do." Fury relented handing her over a file with the relevant information on it. She nodded as she flipped open the laptop in front of her and began tapping furiously on the keyboard. Fury's doubt made her more determined to find this guy and prove the director wrong.

"What's the plan?" Clint asked

"If Miss Stark can find him I think we should pay him a visit and see what we can find out." Fury replied

"I'm in!" Tony agreed

"You're sitting this one out, Stark. Captain Rogers and Agent Barton will go, we want to talk to this guy not threaten him."

They sat around for another hour and a half discussing different approaches to handling Simon Bates as Ella worked. She started at the website and worked backwards. She was hacking her way through the firewalls to find the IP address, from there locating the computer and therefore Bates would be simple. The firewalls were unlike anything Ella had ever seen. They were complex with layers of encoded data to deal with. The key was to find the holes in the firewall, everyone had to have at least one fail safe and if Ella could find it then she was in.

"I got it!" She exclaimed after another hour. The announcement cut off everyone's conversations.

"Atta girl!" Tony called standing behind her to look at the computer screen.

"Where is he?" Steve asked

"Mexico, south east. I can send the coordinates to the jet."

"This is stupid can't you deal with this guy the old fashioned way?" Tony asked Fury

"What would you have me do Stark? Send in my best people to silence him?"

"That's an idea!" Tony replied

"That's illegal!"

"What's your point?"

"Enough. Rogers, Barton, flight leaves at 6, don't be late. You can take the quinjet. Miss Stark…Nice work." Fury said before leaving the room.

/

After Fury's departure everyone left to do their own thing. Tony had to go to work and help Pepper with an important business deal. Steve and Clint went to pack for their mission. Bruce went back to the lab and Natasha was no where to be found. Ella returned to her room sand was currently strumming on her guitar not really focusing on the chords she was playing. She was too worried about the mission Steve and Clint were leaving on. She knew it was silly, they were avengers, they had risked their lives before, they were the best at what they did but Ella couldn't help it, in the short time she had been at Stark Tower she had grown to call all of the avengers her friends. They were so warm and welcoming when she first turned up on the doorstep it was hard not to instantly like them. Ella concluded that rationally worrying about a super solider and a master assassin was pointless, there was no question about the fact they could look after themselves but she still couldn't stop. The idea of either of them getting hurt sent cold chills down her spine. Ella knew she was overreacting but she grew up with an ordinary life, this type of craziness was all new to her so she was entitled to overreact a little.

She played the wrong chord causing the song to sound flat. Sighing she placed the guitar back on its stand.

"Jarvis? Can you tell me where Steve is please?" Ella asked the AI

"Captain Rogers is currently in the gym, Miss Stark." The British voice replied.

Ella nodded before making her way down to the gym. Maybe if she talked to Steve he could tell her how silly she was being. Steve had become her best friend in the tower. They had spent the most time together and he was just so easy to talk too.

She entered the gym to find Steve with his back to her, punching the punch bag with determination. Judging by the sweat on the back of his neck and t-shirt he had been down here for a while. She watched in awe as his muscles contracted and relaxed with every punch. _Was it wrong for her to be slightly turned on right now?_ Ella watched as Steve threw another punch, this one causing the bag to fly across the room, hitting the opposite wall with a thud.

"Impressive." Ella laughed, announcing her presence. Steve turned round to look at her.

"Have you been there long?" He smiled at her

"Long enough to wonder what that punching bag ever did to you" They both smiled at her statement. "So you all packed?"

"Yeah, we aren't leaving for another hour or so. I figured I would get a workout done to kill time." Steve replied.

"If I tell you something will you promise not to judge me on it?" Ella asked timidly

"I'd never judge you." 

"I'm worried about you. I know it's silly because you're well, a super solider but I can't help it." Ella rambled.

"That's not silly. But trust me its going to be fine. Clint and I are just going to talk to this guy and find out what he knows." Steve assured her.

"Just come back it one piece Captain." Ella laughed. She walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his middle. Steve hesitated slightly before wrapping his arms around her as well. He rested his chin on the top of her head. Steve was sweaty and didn't exactly smell all too great but Ella didn't care.

"I'll see you as soon as I'm back. You still owe me a song, don't forget." Steve laughed.

Ella smiled slightly, she leaned up to place a kiss to his cheek before pulling away. Steve blushed slightly. Their eyes met, Steve's arms were still at her sides while Ella's were resting on his biceps. They came closer; the world seemed to disappear around them until it was just them_. Did she want to kiss Steve? Hell yeah! Did Steve want to kiss her? It seemed so._ They moved closer still. They were only a few centimetres away now.

"Captain Rogers, Agent Barton wants to see you, he is on the helipad." Jarvis' voice sounded. The pair jumped apart, shocked.

"I should…" Steve started, pointing towards the door. Ella could only nod at his retreating figure.

"You're timing sucks!" She shouted to the AI once she was sure Steve was out of ear shot.

/

So what do you think? We almost got a kiss there! Damn Jarvis :P Don't worry guys it will happen!

Favourite line/scene?

Please review! They honestly do make my day; I get a massive smile on my face!

Thanks for everything!


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the reviews, favourites and follows! Big shout out to everyone who reviewed this story. Especially to the handful of people who have reviewed every chapter so far! Thank you!

Here's chapter 7!

/

It had been a week since Steve and Clint had left to find Simon Bates, Bruce told her that was normal. They would have to stake out Bates first to see who he met and talked too. She tried to keep her mind occupied so she didn't go crazy. Ella helped Tony and Pepper (mostly Pepper) out at Stark industries. Apparently they were advising for a job for a computer specialist as Tony fired the last one. It wasn't too exciting and Ella really only had to input various numbers into the computer and use them to project new business margins but it did keep her busy during the day.

As well as working for her elder brother she had also taken to spending some time with Bruce, normally in the lab. The doctor had decided to start up new research into energy sources thanks to the events of New York. Ella really didn't understand the physics behind it but she found Bruce to be great company. They would talk for hours about what his life was like before the experiment and of course about the 'other guy'. It was hard for it not to come up in conversation however Bruce never seemed to mind or get angry with the subject, instead answering all of Ella's many questions. She was sure she was getting on the doctor's nerves by the end of it although he was too nice to say.

Natasha had mainly been in the gym for the past week, Ella asked Pepper about it to which the CEO informed her it was something Natasha did often when Clint was away on a mission without her. Ella guessed it must be hard, even though she didn't know the assassins as well as the other avengers it was clear to anyone with eyes that they had a special connection. Ella couldn't define it, she wasn't even sure if Clint or Natasha could either but it was strong.

The tower didn't seem right without Clint's jokes or Steve and Tony's arguments on a daily basis. It wasn't just that Ella was worried about them, but she missed them. Especially Steve, he was the first person she really clicked with and opened up too.

It was a Thursday and Stark Industries was unusually quiet so Tony had told Ella to take the day off. She decided to go shopping, something to kill time and besides she hadn't been able to go with Pepper yet as the CEO was snowed under with work. She hummed to herself as she walked down the street, noticing a sleek black car turn the corner after her. Ella thought nothing of it until she got to the end of the fourth street and noticed that same black car parked up across the street of the store she had just walked out of. The driver had their head buried in a book so she couldn't see who they were. Ella frowned, there was no proof this car was following her; it's just a coincidence.

Ella carried on walking, hearing the car's engine start up as she did. That was weird. Shaking it off she walked down another street and turned a corner. The car did the same thing, parking once again across the street from her. Her heart rate increased slightly, she contemplated pulled out her phone to call Tony when the driver lowered the book to look directly at her. Ella sighed in relief when she saw who he was. She walked across the street towards the vehicle. The driver quickly pulled the book back over his face pretending he hadn't seen her.

"Happy? What are you doing here?" Ella asked as she approached the car. Happy lowered the book, muttering under his breath.

"Miss Stark, lovely to see you." He replied, playing dumb

"Don't Miss Stark me. What are you doing here?"

"Tony sent me to look out for you" Happy sighed in defeat.

"He did what?"

"He was worried about you."

Ella was fuming, what gave him the right to have her followed like she was a little kid. She could take care of herself; she didn't need Tony playing the overprotective brother. She sent Happy a glare before walking in the direction of Stark Industries.

"Ella, I thought I gave you the day off?" Tony asked as he spotted his sister walking towards him.

"You had me followed!" Ella demanded. Tony looked away guiltily before leading her into his office and shutting the door.

"It's not what you think." Tony replied

"Really? So you didn't have me followed because you think I can't look out for myself."

"I was just looking out for you, look this Bates thing could be nothing but if its not then you could be a target." Tony tried to explain, this didn't help the situation.

"So you decided to have Happy follow me without my consent?"

"Uh…well…"

"I'm not a little kid Tony and I don't need you to look out for me I can do that just fine on my own."

"Ella come on, it's not like that."

"You invaded my privacy because you decided to play the overprotective big brother after all these years?" Ella fumed, that was a cheap shot and she knew it. The words were out of her mouth before she could even think about what she was saying.

"No, I invaded your privacy because I care about you! God knows why I bother; I never wanted a sister anyway!" Tony shouted back at her. The both stood there in shock at his words. Ella feel tears in her eyes but held them back, she wouldn't cry in front of him.

"You're a jerk!" Ella shouted at him before leaving. It was only when she was on the street that she let the tears fall, scrubbing them angrily away from her face.

/

Steve sighed. They had been watching Simon Bates for a week and it was getting them no where. He didn't see anyone; he rarely left his flat unless it was to run to the video store or the grocery store. Steve would much rather be at home with Ella and the rest of the avengers. Ella. He had been thinking about her a lot lately, especially after their almost kiss. What did that mean? Did she want to kiss him too, or did that mean something else in the 21st century he wasn't aware of?

"Earth to Steve!" Clint called bringing him out of his thoughts

"What?"

"I asked what you wanted to do about Bates." Clint repeated

"I think we go direct. Knock on the door and go from there. This is getting us no where." Steve replied. Clint nodded and began packing up his arrows. Steve looked at him confused.

"It might be easier if we go in uniform, incase he doesn't know who we are." Steve nodded and went to retrieve his Captain America suit from where he packed it.

20 minutes later Captain America and Hawkeye were standing outside Simon Bates' flat waiting for him to answer the door. They hear shuffling before the door opened to reveal a middle aged man. He had dark hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed in days. He was a slightly chubby man with thick frame glasses perched on his nose. He stared at them open mouthed.

"Mr Bates, we need to talk." Captain America said as Hawkeye brought his bow up to eye level.

"Here is how this is going to work, you are going to tell us what we need to know and then we sent someone in here to arrest you. You lie to us and I will use you as target practice" Hawkeye stated bluntly.

"Arrest me? For what?" Bates gulped

"Disturbing the peace, not showering in a week, you pick." Hawkeye replied, crinkling his nose at the smell. The flat itself wasn't exactly clean. Take out cartons and beer bottles littered almost every surface and everything other than the laptop on the sofa looked untouched.

"Who do you work for?" Captain America asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Bates replied. Hawkeye brought the bow up again, lining the arrow up with Simon Bates' shoulder.

"Okay! Okay, I never met them. We speak over the phone and via email. This guy tells me what to do and I do it. If I do it right then I get paid"

"What does he want you to do?" Captain America asked crossing his arms over his chest. Simon gulped again.

"I don't know!" Hawkeye glared at him, "Honestly I don't. He doesn't trust me with the plan in advance. I know it's only the beginning and he has something big planned to destroy you guys but I don't know what. I swear! Oh god! Don't hurt me! I love the avengers! Go team!" He began sobbing. Captain America and Hawkeye just looked at each other.

"Get the laptop; they might be information on it." Captain America said. Hawkeye nodded before collecting the item in question.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" He asked Bates who was still on the floor.

"He left me a message for you." He stuttered

"What's the message?" Hawkeye asked

"The worst is yet to come."

/

"Stupid Tony!" Ella fumed as she stalked into the gym, "Such a jerk!" she mumbled as she walked over to the punching bag. She wasn't normally a violent person but her big brother really made her want to hit something, he was far too stubborn for his own good.

Without thinking she threw a sloppy punch against the bag in front of her trying to relive some of her anger. Someone must have replaced it has Steve threw the last one across the room. The next thing she felt was pain as her fist collided with the bag.

"Shit!" She cursed, clutching her hand to her chest

"You know you really aren't very good at that." The voice of Natasha Romanoff remarked from across the room. She spun around to find the red head in question sitting on a bench smirking at her.

"I hadn't had a lot of practice. Tony just gets me so mad sometimes."

"He tends to do that to everyone. What did Stark do this time?" Natasha asked, taking her hair out of its previous ponytail and shaking it out.

"Nothing really, just being an annoying brother. God knows why, he hasn't really been there before now. I guess I just don't know how to deal with an overprotective brother as I have never had one before, you know?"

Natasha nodded curtly, clearly the conversation topic was making her uncomfortable given the fact the spy had never mentioned any family and therefore didn't have anything to say on the matter. Ella smiled sheepishly.

"Seriously though if you are going to be living here for a while maybe learning some self defence wouldn't be a bad thing. I can teach you if you like?" Natasha shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. She stared at the assassin open mouthed, probably resembling a fish. She was completely shocked by the offer but wasn't going to pass up the opportunity of becoming firmer friends with the mysterious member of the team.

"Actually that would be great, but to be honest you will have your work cut out for you. I'm more of a computer girl."

"Don't worry, by the time I finish with you you'll be able to hold your own in a fight." That comment made Ella shiver but she shook it off, "You should get Bruce to look at that too." Natasha said nodding to her hand.

"Yeah I might just do that, thanks." She said as she turned to leave the gym.

"Half 9 here, tomorrow morning don't be late." Natasha called after her.

"Yes ma'am." Ella called but didn't turn back and therefore didn't notice the small smirk on Natasha's face.

"Definitely Stark's sister." She muttered as she walked over to the mats to continue her gym session.

/

So what do you think? Had to put in some brother/sister drama – it just doesn't seem likely they would always get on well with each other! Both are very stubborn :P

Favourite line/scene?

Please review they mean a lot to me! I do try and reply back to the reviews as quickly as possible! Thanks!

Next update should be Friday! Woo!


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys! You are all completely amazing! Thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites! Hope you like this chapter – trust me the next one is one of my favourites.

I was thinking that for the people who review this chapter – they will get a two word hint on what the next chapter includes. Just a little teaser to keep you in suspense so get reviewing!

/

"Bruce?" Ella called out as she entered his lab, her hand wasn't painful anymore but she still cradled it close to her chest.

"Yeah!" A muffled voice sounded before his head popped up from under his desk. Ella had to stifle a laugh at the doctor's dishevelled state.

"What you doing down there?"

"Just recalibrating the….." Ella gave him a confused looked, one that said 'You lost me', "Never mind." Bruce finished, he eyed the hand she was cradling carefully.

"Can you have a look at my hand? I know it's not broken I just want to make sure it's not sprained either." Ella explained

"How many times do I have to tell you guys I am not that kind of doctor?" Bruce mumbled before pulling up a chair motioning for Ella to sit in it.

"I know but you are the most qualified one in the building." She grinned up at him. Bruce gave her a small smile in return. He carefully took her hand, stretching it out slowly. Ella sat there silently marvelling at the gentleness of the man who as Tony says can turn into a 'big green rage monster'.

"It's not sprained. You probably just bent it the wrong way. You should be fine in a few hours." Bruce concluded, "How did you do it anyway?"

Ella sighed, "Well, I was mad at Tony and decided to take my frustration out on a punch bag. I guess it didn't like me too much." She laughed; Bruce raised his eyebrows knowing there was more to the story. Ella relented and began to tell Bruce about the fight.

"You think I am a horrible person don't you?" Ella asked once she was finished.

"No, I completely understand where you are coming from. Tony should have at least told you about getting Happy to follow you."

"But?"

"But I think you need to see this from Tony's perspective too. You're not the only one who has to get use to living with a sibling, Tony is doing it too. You know what he is like; he doesn't know how to tell people he cares about them. Tony has pretty much been alone most of his life and now he has a sister, and a group of people that care about him. That's a lot of him to get use too." Bruce explained

"I never thought about it like that before. I was so mean to him, god he is going to hate me forever." Ella sighed, she felt truly upset about how she had spoken to her brother. He was only trying to look out for her and what she said was pretty uncalled for.

"Of course he will forgive you. You two were bound to fight at some point, it's what siblings do. Just go easy on him; he is just trying to do the right thing by you."

Ella nodded before standing and going to the door, "Thank you! I have to find Tony." Bruce shook his head at the younger Stark, he muttered a 'You're welcome' before sighing and crawling back under his desk to deal with the jumble of wires hidden there.

/

Thanks to Jarvis Ella knew exactly where to find Tony; he was in his workshop and had asked not to be disturbed. Ella decided to ignore the request, instead making her way to the workshop with Tony's favourite pizza in hand. She was hoping it would be enough to get her through the door so she could apologize properly.

"Jarvis can you open up?" Ella asked as you stood in front of the door to the workshop, it was sealed shut.

"I regret to inform you that Mr Stark has ordered me not to open the door to anyone." Jarvis replied, Ella sighed. Fine, she would just have to do it herself. She set the pizza down and got to work on the keypad to the left of the door. She begin tapping furiously, Jarvis was essentially still a computer and she hadn't met a computer yet that she couldn't hack, even if it took her all night.

Luckily (though Ella suspected Jarvis helped) it only took a few minutes and the door opened, the heavy rock music being cut off at the same time. Tony turned to look in her direction confused as to why the room was in silence.

"I come in peace." Ella laughed holding up the pizza she had brought as a gesture of the statement. Tony said nothing but he did put down the screwdriver in his hand.

"Can we talk?" Ella asked timidly

"Meat feast?" Tony replied pointing at the pizza

"Of course" Ella said handing it over to him.

"Okay I guess you can stay."

"I am so sorry, Tony. The things I said to you were uncalled for and I didn't mean any of it. I just, I'm not use to being taken care of, you know? Since my mom passed I've done everything myself but now I don't have too and that's great but I guess its going to take some time to get use too. And now I am rambling so I am going to shut up…" Ella trailed off, Tony looked at her amused

"I'm sorry too kiddo, you're a grown woman and I should have told you I was getting Happy to follow you. I was just worried, ever since New York Pepper seems to think I had gone into overprotective mode but I can't help it, I just feel like I need to protect the people I care about, my family. That being said, I shouted some pretty unforgivable things to you, I didn't mean them. Ella, you are the one thing I am not angry at my dad for because I love having a sister." Tony finished.

Ella didn't say anything, she rushed over to him wrapped her arms around his neck, "Love you Tony" She mumbled into his shoulder

"Love you too. Come on, that pizza smells damn good." Tony replied breaking the hug and fishing a slice of pizza out of the box.

"So what are you working on down here?" Ella asked taking a bit of the pizza.

"Mark 67, wanna help?" Tony asked, pointing towards the Iron Man suit in the middle of the room. Ella laughed at the way his eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas.

"Sure."

/

"Miss Stark? Your request was to be woken up at 9." Jarvis' voice filled the room. Ella snuggled further into the cover before realising today was her first training session with Natasha and being late wouldn't be a good start. She grumbled as she dragged herself out of bed. Ella dressed in yoga pants, a running vest top and a pair of trainers. She tied her curly hair into a high ponytail.

"You're early." Natasha remarked as Ella strode into the gym.

"I figured it was better to be early than late." Ella laughed

"You figured correctly, now let's get to work. Today we will work on your defence, maybe a bit of attack if we get time." Natasha began, the red head was in a black pair of yoga pants and a black t-shirt, her hair hanging freely, framing her face. "We will start off slow and when I think you are ready, I will increase the pace."

Ella nodded, "Okay."

"Just remember in combat being able to take a hit is just as important as blocking one."

Natasha swung her left arm, aiming for Ella's face. She raised her arm up to block it. Natasha threw her right arm next; Ella managed to block that one too. Natasha bent her knee aiming for Ella's stomach, Ella saw the movement and quickly jumped backwards to avoid it.

"You have good reflexes; there maybe hope for you after all." Natasha commented

"Thanks I think."

Natasha smiled slightly before increasing her attack. Her left arm aimed for Ella's rib which she managed to block, Natasha's right swing clipped her shoulder. Ella stumbled slightly but otherwise didn't react.

"In a fight you have to focus. Ignore everything, even pain." Natasha commanded as she threw another punch. Ella moved to the side to avoid it.

Natasha smiled again, she threw her arm out which Ella dodged smoothly then Natasha's other arm, and Ella caught it with her hand. Natasha smirked before using the arm Ella was holding to spin her towards the red head. Natasha moved the arm across Ella's throat holding her in place. Ella's back was against her and she was trapped.

"Never let an opponent get their arms around you. Never trap yourself. Now, use my weight against me." Natasha ordered. Ella slammed against her before bending, using Natasha's weight to flip them to the floor, releasing Ella from her grip.

"Good, now the objective is to get back on your feet as quickly as you can. On the floor you are too much of a target." Natasha explained. Ella was panting by this point, sweat glistening on her skin unlike Natasha whose breathing had barely changed. She still looked like she had step out of a fashion magazine.

Ella rolled away from Natasha's grasp and got to her feet. Natasha sprung back up reminding Ella of a jungle cat.

"You're a fast learner."

"You're a good teacher." Ella remarked. Natasha kicked her leg out causing Ella to jump to avoid it. She threw a fist at her face and one to her stomach. Ella blocked the one to the side of her jaw but didn't have time to react to the fist colliding with her stomach. She bent over in pain, breathing heavily.

"Don't worry, it was a safe blow. You have to stay ahead in a fight, eyes everywhere." Natasha explained. Ella nodded standing up right, her stomach protested but she did as Natasha said and ignored it raising her hands up again as she gritted her teeth.

"Agent Romanoff? Miss Stark? I am to inform you that Agent Barton and Captain Rogers have returned and have asked everyone in the tower to gather in the meeting room." Jarvis said causing the two ladies to stop their sparring. They both looked at each other before walking towards the elevator.

"Good job today." Natasha said handing Ella a bottle of water. Ella smiled at her but was happier about the fact Steve was finally home.

/

So what do you think? Favourite scene or line? Let me know

Next update should be on Sunday depending on the reviews!


	9. Chapter 9

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews, follows and favourites! This chapter has one of my favourite scenes in so far so I hope you like it – I thought we could use a bit of team fun haha!

I want to give a big shout out to BTR14 for reviewing every chapter I have posted so far! Thank you! Also to DarknessQueen12 for the pm and review! Big thanks to Jo, Guest and Mistra Rose for the many reviews and support on this story! You are all simply amazing! Love you guys!

/

"What the hell does that mean? 'The worst is yet to come'?" Bruce asked as Natasha and Ella walked into the room. Steve and Clint were standing at the head of the table with all the other avengers and Pepper occupying the chairs. Natasha took a seat to Clint's left while Ella moved to sit next to Pepper.

"Hey why are you two all hot and sweaty? It's not a party if you don't invite me." Tony remarked taking in their dishevelled state and gym clothes.

"Don't make me hurt you, Stark!" Natasha glared at him, "I was just teaching Ella some self-defence."

Tony smartly didn't comment any further. Clint raised his eyebrows at Natasha, "That is probably a good idea considering it looks like that article was just the beginning." Clint remarked leading him to repeat what they found out from Simon Bates for the two girls.

"So we still have little to go on?" Pepper asked once Clint had finished his account of what happened during his and Steve's mission.

"Not necessarily," Tony replied, "Jarvis can you acquire Mr Bates phone records please and any other information you have on him?"

"Of course sir, however it may take some time to acquire. Estimated completion is 3 hours." The AI replied

"If we can find out who this guy talks to we might be able to find out who is calling the shots." Steve nodded, "We also brought back his laptop. Maybe you and Ella can find something on it?"

Ella and Tony nodded. Ella stayed quiet for the most part while the avengers were discussing how to move forward. It felt like she was intruding on a private meeting, she wasn't an avenger and hadn't really been living with them that long.

"I say we lay low and see what Jarvis finds." Bruce said causing Pepper and Tony to nod at the suggestion

"I disagree, we need to strike back. Show these people they can't mess with us." Clint argued, Natasha agreeing with his plan.

"Cap? You're call." Tony said looking at Steve. Steve looked around the room for a minute before standing up straighter, the stance of a solider.

"We lay low. There is no sense in going after these people when we don't know who they are or what they want." Steve replied everyone around the room nodded once accepting the word of their leader.

"Right now that's over, anyone up for some basketball?" Tony asked lightening the mood.

/

"Do they do this often?" Ella asked Bruce. All the avengers were gathered in the gym, the mats and punching bag had been moved to the side to way room for a temporary basket ball court. Tony and Steve were the captains and were in the process of organising there teams.

"Sometimes," Bruce chuckled

"Who normally wins?"

"It varies, Tony knows more basketball moves but Steve is a strategic genius. His counter attacks can be lethal."

"Do you play?"

"No, not ever. Especially not since I got the big guy. Sports tend to equal increased heart rate and stress and that's not a good environment for the other guy so I normally keep score."

"I'm sorry." Ella said sympathetically.

"I'm not, Tony takes the game way too seriously, it's safer over here."

The avengers assembled on the court. Tony had placed a sweat band on his head; on his team were Natasha and Pepper. Steve had pulled off his plaid shirt leaving him in his white t-shirt; Clint was stood next to him frowning.

"Wait, the numbers don't match. Ella get over here." Clint asked considering Pepper was normally at work and therefore they normally played 2 on 2.

"No way, I can't play sport of any kind. I am just going to sit over here." Ella called back; her hand-eye co-ordination was terrible to say the least.

"Come on Ella, its easy. Just follow my lead." Steve asked smiling at her. Damn him and that smile. She sighed before walking onto the court to join them.

Tony's team scored the first basket. Steve's team scored the second. Tony dribbled the ball down the court after Natasha chest passed it to him, he threw the ball aiming for another basket but Steve's hand knocked it to the ground where Clint stole it and began dribbling down the other end of the court. Natasha smirked before running past him, stealing the ball out of his grip. She passed the ball to Pepper who in turn threw it at Tony. The billionaire smirked as he once again lined himself up with the hoop. The bounce bounced off the rim of the basket into Clint's waiting hands. Natasha was blocking him from dribbling the ball so he threw it forwards Ella; she caught it unsteady before throwing it straight to Steve as if it burned her. He laughed slightly before dribbling towards their end of the court. Pepper ran after him but he was faster. He lined up placing one hand on the top of the ball and the other at the side, extending his arm to score the goal. Clint high-fived him while Tony shook his head.

"Come on, old man!" Tony jested him causing Steve the throw the ball towards him, Tony caught it without hesitation. Tony threw the ball to Natasha. She was very graceful, weaving her away out of Clint's grasp while passing the ball to Pepper. The CEO looked startled, before dribbling the ball to face the goal. She threw it where the ball balanced on the rim before landing in the basket. Tony cheered giving her a full kiss on the mouth.

Steve laughed before accepting the ball from his opponent; He dribbled the ball away from Natasha bouncing it to Clint who caught it easily. Tony tried to steal the ball from him but Clint saw him coming and quickly passed the ball to Ella. She dribbled it towards their basket.

"What do I do?" She yelled as Steve and Clint worked on blocking the other avengers.

"Shoot!" Clint replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, well it kind of was.

Ella lined up to the basket, she had never done this in her life, that's when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and lift her towards the goal, she dropped the ball scoring another goal before being put to the ground. She turned to find Steve was behind her.

"Thought you could use a hand." He smiled at her

"Foul! He lifted her up, that's cheating!" Tony remarked gesturing to Bruce

"Actually Tony there is nothing in the rules that say it's forbidden." Bruce replied

"Fine, that's how you want to play it Spangles?"

"Mr Stark, there is a Mr Davis on the line for you." Jarvis' voice interrupted their game.

"Tell him to call back later, things are getting serious!" Tony replied

"He says its important sir, regarding the business deal?" Jarvis prompted, Tony sighed

"Fine, but we will continue this another day!" Tony said before throwing the ball to Natasha as him and Pepper filed out of the gym.

Everyone else in the room laughed at his childlike behaviour.

/

Ella woke up usually early; normally she was the kind of girl that liked to prolong her sleep for as long as possible. She sighed as her stomach growled, reminding her of why she up early. After the basketball game she had spent most of her time with Bruce and Tony going through Bates' laptop. Jarvis hadn't found anything out of the ordinary with his phone records so Tony was making him triple check everything. Ella knew one thing for sure, whoever the Lumia was, they were good. They left little traces of who they were or what they wanted and it was beginning to annoy everyone.

Ella sighed as she threw on the first items she could find in her wardrobe; a pair of jeans and a green button down shirt. She had been so busy yesterday she didn't even get to have a proper conversation with Steve. She promised herself she would seek him out and ask him to lunch today. _Wait did that sound like a date? _They almost kissed; did Steve want to go out with her like that?

Ella shook her head, how could one man make her act like a teenager with her first crush? She entered the kitchen to find the only one there was Pepper; it really must have been early.

"Ella thank god you're here. I am meant to be making breakfast but I have this early meeting to go to and I need you to take over breakfast duty. Please?" Pepper said waving her hands around frantically.

"Pepper, breathe. Its fine you go to work and I will sort out breakfast." Ella said trying to calm the red head down. Pepper did as she asked.

"You're the best!" She smiled grabbing her blazer from the back of the chair before rushing out the door. It was only after Pepper had left that Ella remembered she couldn't cook to save her life, I mean she burnt everything.

Ella sighed; she had promised Pepper and didn't want to let her down. It still felt like she was finding her place in the tower and she wanted to do whatever she could to help. That being said, giving the avengers food poisoning wouldn't be helping anyone.

"Okay, suck it up, you can do this. Just pick something simple." She muttered to herself as she opened the fridge.

"You know talking to yourself is the sign of madness?" A voice called out to her causing her to jump, she turned to find Steve smirking at her from the doorway.

"No it's the first sign of a lost cause." Ella replied shutting the fridge, Steve looked at her confused. "I promised Pepper I would make breakfast but I will probably kill you all if I do."

Steve laughed, "Well not all of us, thanks to mine and Bruce's fast metabolism we would most likely survive."

"Jeez, that's a relief I guess two avengers are better than none." Ella laughed

"Need some help?"

"You cook?" She asked shocked, she didn't picture Steve as the cooking type.

"I know I am from the 40s but we still had to eat then. I can make a few simple things. I was on my own after my mom passed so I had to learn." Steve explained reaching round her into the fridge. Ella stood frozen, too scared to move incase her body brushed up against his. Steve's unique scent filled her nose and it took all she had not to kiss him there. Before she knew it he was gone, a box of eggs in his hand.

"Scrambled egg it is." Steve declared before retrieving a pan for the stove. "Come on, you're never too old to learn how to cook." Steve smiled at her, Ella returned but before standing at his side watching as he cracked the eggs.

"Hey Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad you're home." She smiled up at him

"Me too."

/

So thoughts? Favourite line/scene?

Please review! Again reviewers will get a hint about next chapter! So please review they mean a lot to me!

Next update will be Monday or Tuesday depending on feedback and such! Much love!


	10. Chapter 10

Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews and everything else! You guys are amazing – I am sending you all virtual cookies!

Here we are at chapter 10! It's weird as I am currently writing chapter 20!

Anyway Enjoy!

/

Ella walked into the gym to find Natasha and Clint talking together by the mats. Ella could have sworn she had another training session with Natasha this morning.

"Hey, we still training today?" Ella asked as she came to join the assassins.

"Of course. Clint is going to help with your attack. Most of the opponents you will face are going to be men so I thought it would be better if you learnt how the fight them." Natasha explained. Ella swallowed thickly, Natasha was one thing but Clint; he was big and muscular.

"Don't worry Mini-Stark I will go easy on you." Clint winked seeing the worried look on Ella's face.

"Let's get to work." Natasha prompted

Ella groaned as she was slammed into the mat for a second time that morning, training with Clint wasn't as fun as it was with Natasha. Just as she thought she was getting the hang of things Clint would throw a new move into the mix causing her to lose her flow and end on the mats again.

"Sorry but you have to focus, don't leave yourself open." Clint said pulling her up to her feet again. Natasha was on the sidelines watching and identifying the weaknesses in Ella's attack. Ella nodded and got back into her fighting stance, her back killed but she didn't want Clint to think she couldn't handle herself.

Clint smiled at her determination before mirroring her stance. Ella threw the first punch, Clint easily blocking it. The second hit his arm but didn't faze him in the slightest. Ella kicked her left leg out but Clint caught it in his hand. Ella looked over to Natasha asking permission to practise the move she taught her for situations like this. Natasha raised her eyebrow but nodded. Ella swung her other leg around catching Clint off guard, she propelled it into his chest before using the motion to free her other leg from his grasp. Clint stumbled backwards slightly in shock, one hand rubbing his chest.

"Nice work." He groaned, Ella blushed lightly

"Sorry" She nodded towards his chest; Clint dismissed it with his hand

"I was Nat's training partner for years, I can handle a lot worst then that." He laughed. They both looked over to Natasha but she seemed to be focusing on something else, her body was turned slightly away from them. Her eyes fixed to the wall.

"Let's go again." Clint said raising up his hands

"Wait, do you hear that?" Natasha asked focusing on the wall again. Clint paused cocking his head to the side.

"I don't hear anything." Ella said trying to listen out for whatever had Natasha's attention

"I do a beeping sound." Clint said moving closer to the back wall of the gym.

Ella moved passed Clint pressing her ear against the wall. She heard it then, a faint beeping sound; it seemed to be increasing steadily.

"Doesn't that sound like…?" Natasha didn't get to finish her sentence. Before any of them realised what was happening they were caught in an explosion. A storm of dust and debris propelling them into the air. An intense heat consuming the entire floor.

/

"Jarvis what the hell was that?" Tony asked as Steve helped him to his feet. They had been thrown to the ground as the tower seemed to shake. Bruce came running in the check on them.

"Sir, it appears a bomb of some sorts has been detonated. It originated from the gym; we have lost all power and communications to that floor." The AI replied

"What anyone on that floor at the time?" Steve asked

"Agents Romanoff and Barton also Miss Stark were in the gym when the explosion happened."

"Pepper?" Tony asked

"Negative, Miss Potts left early for Stark Industries."

"Is anyone hurt?" Bruce asked frantically

"Unknown, my circuits has been short-circuited due to the explosion."

"We have to get them out." Steve said worriedly, his statement directed at Tony.

"Sir, I am picking up video feed from the gym." Jarvis interrupted. Before Tony could ask the feed was being displayed. The gym was unrecognisable; it was full of bricks and other debris making it impossible to find anyone, a thick cloud of dues fogging the vision.

"Cap suit up, we are going to get them out." Tony replied before speaking to Jarvis, "Get me the mark 67."

"Bruce you should stay here, we need to make a makeshift hospital incase any of them need medical attention." Steve said Dr Banner nodded before heading in the direction of the lab to get some equipment.

"I wish Thor was here, his muscle would have come in handy." Tony sighed

"Thor has his own people to worry about; he will be back when he can." Steve replied. He just wanted to get his people out and make sure they were safe. Ella's smiling face flashed in his mind. _Please let her be okay_. Steve couldn't face losing anyone else he cared about, especially not Ella.

Captain America and Iron Man took the stairs to the gym, the elevator going offline after the explosion. Neither of them commented on the state of the room, if it could still be classed as that anymore. Tony flew into the air, scanning the area for movement and life signs. Steve used his strength to move debris out of his way as he searched the floor at ground level.

"Captain, we have a heartbeat over here." Tony shouted. Steve ran over to him, jumping over various obstacles in his way. He began moving the debris out of the way until he could make out an arm, then a face.

"It's Natasha. She is still alive." Steve confirmed.

"Okay, get her out while I search for Clint and Ella." Tony replied before scanning another section of rubble.

Steve carefully freed Natasha from the rubble pinning her down. He shook her shoulder gently causing her to start coughing and retching, trying to clearly her airways from the dust in them. Steve rubbed her back.

"You okay?" He asked attentively

"Clint?" She whispered hoarsely

"We are looking for him." Steve promised.

"Steve!" Tony called out

"It's okay, I got her." Bruce called from behind him. Steve sighed gratefully before running to help Tony.

"Can you walk?" Bruce asked, Natasha nodded accepting his hand and getting to her feet. She had a cut above her eyebrow that was bleeding but that was the only visible thing he could find at the moment. Bruce lead her out of the room heading for the lab which had become a make shift hospital. He could only hope no one would seriously need it.

"Clint can you hear me?" Tony asked again, still he got no response

"Is he okay?" Steve asked carefully finding a way to reach Tony through the rubble.

"He is unconscious but I can't get his leg free. Something is pinning it down" Tony explained pointing to the leg in question.

"Okay if I lift the beam you get behind Clint and pull him out." Steve said, never before had he seen his team-mate look so pale. It scared him more than he would care to admit. Tony nodded at his plan and grabbed Clint's arms. Steve bent his knees, grinding his teeth together as he lifted the beam. It was heavier than he first thought but thanks to the serum he was able to lift it long enough for Tony to pull him free.

Clint screamed in agony as he was moved, it was only then did Tony and Steve notice how bad his leg really was. The beam had cut through the skin making a very deep cut that was oozing blood; his actual leg was bent in an odd angle clearly broken. Tony and Steve winced at his scream before watching as he fell unconscious again.

"Bruce isn't going to be able to lift Clint on his own." Tony said, Steve nodded knowing he was right.

"I will help him; you stay here and look for Ella." Steve replied he didn't really want to leave without finding her but Clint needed him and Tony's suit could find her faster than he could.

Steve muttered a quick 'sorry' to Clint before picking him up. He made his way through the debris meeting Bruce on the stairs who applied pressure to Clint's leg as they made their way to the lab.

"He needs to go to a hospital. I can't re-set a break." Bruce said as they set him down on the bed.

"I called Fury; he is sending medical support right now." Natasha said coldly as she ran her fingers through Clint's hair.

"Have you found her!?" Steve asked frantically as he ran back into the gym

"Not yet." Tony said still scanning the rubble. Steve felt the bile rise in his throat. She couldn't be…. No, she wasn't. It wasn't an option.

"This is my fault; she was here because of me." Tony said angrily.

"No, that's not true. This wasn't your fault. We need to find her, now!" Steve said before noticing a trainer amongst the debris. "Tony, here!" He shouted running over to it. Steve frantically threw the rubble out of his way before uncovering her face. Ella was lying on her side, a beam pressing against her stomach. Blood covered the side of her face and her eyes were closed.

"She's alive." Tony sighed; Steve felt relief flood his body, "Barely." The fear returned worst than before.

"We have to get her out."

Steve crawled towards the beam trapping her before grabbing it, he managed to lift it up but it was too big to move it away from Ella.

"I need a hand here." Steve said gruffly, gritting his teeth together from the strain of lifting the beam. Tony nodded:

"Jarvis put everything we have into the thrusters." He called out lifting up the other side of the beam that had once been apart of the ceiling. He managed to use his repulsors to blast to beam freeing Ella from it. Steve turned back to her cupping her face with his hand. He wanted her to wake up, to tease him. To see her beautiful green eyes.

"Heart rate is dropping; we have to get her upstairs." Tony said breaking off the moment. Steve nodded lifting her into his arms. Her head rolled on his chest worrying him even more at how breakable she felt.

/

So Drama! What do you think? Never written this kind of thing before so I hope it was okay! Favourite scene/line?

Please review! The mean a lot and get me updating faster! Again, reviewers will get a hint for next chapter! Do you guys like the hints thing? Or is it annoying?

Anyway thanks for reading! Next update should be Wednesday! WOO!


	11. Chapter 11

Hey! So I saw Thor 2 yesterday – and I really liked it, much better than the first Thor movie. Thor, Loki and a cameo from our beloved Cap what more could you ask for? What did you guys think of the movie?

So I'm glad and astounded by the reviews and support I got for the last chapter! I'm glad you all liked it! So without further ado, chapter 11 is here!

/

_Beep. Beep. Beep_

That was the only sound Ella could hear. Her eyes were closed and for a second she thought she was still trapped under the rubble in the gym; that was before she felt a warm pressure on her hand, soft and comforting. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking rapidly in the harsh light. Faces swarmed her vision, Tony, Pepper, Steve all of them had worry etched into their faces and relief in their eyes. Ella coughed, the action burning her lungs as she did so. She began gasping for breath, the stinging sensation by her ribs growing.

"Just breathe your okay." Tony soothed rubbing a hand along her arm. Ella tried to do as she was told and focused on breathing in and out. She took a second to remember what had happened, the gym, the explosion, Clint and Natasha. Where were they? Were they okay? Ella scanned the room frantically for them but came up empty.

"Clint? Natasha?" She asked roughly trying to move into a sitting position. Steve placed an arm around her back to help her.

"They're okay. Nat only has a few cuts and bruises and Clint, he has a broken leg but he is okay. They are on their floor resting." Tony explained, Ella felt relief flood her at knowing they were safe. No one was fatally hurt by the explosion. She had so many questions she needed to ask, each on bubbling to the surface. Tony and Steve seemed to notice this, choosing the easiest one to answer first.

"You have been out for 3 days; you gave us a real fright kiddo." Tony started, "You have a cracked rib so you have to take it easy other than that it's just cuts and bruises."

"Do you know who's responsible?" Ella asked, Steve handed her some water, she smiled gratefully before sipping it. The cold liquid soothing her throat making it easier for her to talk.

"The Lumia, it has to be. They said worst was to come and an explosion is definitely worse. We haven't found them yet. Whoever planted the bomb got excess to the tower somehow. I have Jarvis scanning everyone that entered and exited the building that day but there were a lot of people." Tony explained.

"Where am I?" Ella asked looking around the room. She didn't recognise it, the room was set out like a hospital with the machines and the starch bed she was lying on but in the corner she could clearly see desks and boxes stacked up to make room.

"It's a spare room; we are using it as a recovery room. Fury had medics over here to check on you all. We thought it was for the best, it's not like the avengers can walk into the local hospital." Steve explained

"Guys can you find Bruce and tell him Ella is awake? I want to talk to her." Tony asked. Pepper and Steve nodded; Pepper gave Ella a quick hug being careful of her ribs while Steve gave her hand a squeeze before standing up. Well that explains the pressure she felt when she first woke up.

"What's up?" Ella asked as they left the room. Tony sighed before moving to sit in the chair Steve had just vacated.

"Listen El, I think…I think you should go home. I know what you're going to say but what happened, you should never have been involved in that. It's my job to protect you and I failed, my life is dangerous and I can't promise you I can keep you safe. Home is really the best place for you." Tony ranted, Ella waited patiently until he finished.

"You finished?" She asked, Tony nodded, "Good. First off this wasn't your fault. Second, I'm not going anywhere."

"Ella…."

"No, listen to me. I know what you're life is like Tony, I knew before I came to stay with you and I did it anyway. Besides I am living with a group of superheroes don't you think that's the safest place in the world right now? You can't make me go home, I _am_ home. These past few months have been mad but I wouldn't change them for anything." Ella finished

It was at the moment Dr Banner walked in with Steve in tow, "Sorry, are we interrupting anything?" He asked in the doorway

"I don't know, we good here?" Ella asked looking at Tony who was frozen still staring at her. He snapped out of his thoughts:

"We're good." He nodded, both knowing what that really meant. Ella was right this was home now and she wasn't going anywhere.

"Right well, Ella I don't think we need to keep you in that bed any longer. If you promise to take it easy I think we can let you up and about. You might feel slight pain in your ribs but that's normal while they heal. No training for a few weeks and make sure you change the bandages twice a day." Bruce said converting into doctor mode. It made Ella wonder why he never became a medic, she thought he would be very good at it.

"You got it, doc." She nodded.

"Wait that's it!? She has a cracked rib and you want to leave her alone?" Tony asked as if they had gone mad

"Please if it was you, you would refuse treatment and carry on working like normal!" Ella remarked causing Steve and Bruce to laugh

"Well Tony if you want to stay with her then be my guest." Bruce said

"I would but I have to oversee the repairs to the gym and finish rewiring Jarvis, Poor thing got fried." Tony said trailing off, "Capiscle, do me a favour?" he finished pointing at Ella.

"You got it." Steve smiled

"Hold on, I don't need a babysitter!" Ella cut in

Safe to say over much arguing between the Stark siblings it was decided Steve would stay with Ella for a few hours to make sure she was okay. It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with Steve because honestly, the idea made her get butterflies in her stomach but she didn't like the idea of Tony thinking she was some kid that needed looking after. Being highly independent was something that Ella prided herself on; unfortunately it normally resulted in arguments between the siblings.

"This is silly, I'm fine." Ella said for the third time as her and Steve entered her living room on her floor of the tower.

"I can see that, he is just worried about you. We all are." Steve replied

"I know. I'm just not use to people fussing about me all the time." Ella smiled sheepishly, a small blush appearing across her cheeks.

"Well I'll make you a deal. If you promise not to scare me like that again, I promise not to fuss about your injuries." Steve said

"Deal"

"Hey, you still owe me a song." Steve replied, walking over to her guitar on its stand

"Now?" Ella asked

"No time like the present" He replied sitting down on her couch. Ella laughed before taking the guitar from his hand and sitting next to him on the couch.

"Okay but I have no idea how good it will be I have never played with a cracked rib before." Ella joked. She tuned the guitar, playing a few chords before starting to sing. It wasn't any song in particular, just a few verses of a song she heard on the radio that she couldn't get out of her head. Steve smiled as she played, completely mesmerised by her playing.

"You're incredible. You have a beautiful voice, Ella." Steve said softly once she had finished the song

"Thank you" She blushed. Steve's blue eyes met her green eyes. He gently raised his hand, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, his thumb lightly brushing over the cut on her hairline which caused the bleeding from her head.

"Actually it feels much better." Ella replied, honestly Steve's touch made her feel like she was on fire, any pain had all been forgotten about.

They decided to watch a movie, although neither one was really focusing on the plot. Both were equally aware of the fact their shoulders were brushing against each other on the couch. The motion sent tingles down Ella's arm and she wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch him but held it back. She hadn't really had time to think about her feelings for Steve. She knew she had them, and they were more than friendly but this was Steve. The man from the 40s, Captain America, her best friend. Could she have a relationship like that with him? What if it didn't work out?

As the movie progressed Ella felt her eyes becoming heavy, she was more tired than she thought considering she had been asleep most of the day. Soon enough she found her eyes drooping, her head resting on Steve's shoulder.

She woke up a few hours later to find the film had finished, it had returned back to the main menu screen and was currently repeating the same annoying theme tune music over and over again. She raised her head slightly to find the super solider next to her was also asleep. Clearly he hadn't been sleeping well; Ella smiled at how innocent and peaceful he looked while he slept. Her ribs were screaming in protest at the uncomfortable position. Gentle she moved off the couch, careful not to wake Steve. She switched off the television before grabbing a blanket and draping it over his sleeping form.

"Goodnight, Steve" She whispered before going to her room to change and sleep herself.

/

_**Darkness. Nothing but darkness surrounded her like a blanket, not one that was offering comfort. Ella twisted, turning trying to find any scrap of light, any glimmer of hope to claw her way out. She was trapped. Nothing but darkness. Ella breathed louder, faster, every breathe becoming more painful. She struggled against the bricks pinning her down. Ella tried to scream but no sound came.**_

_**Ella!**_

_**The darkness called for her, Ella fought harder, her breathing now rapid. **_

_**Ella!**_

_**The darkness seemed to come closer, engulfing her.**_

"Ella!"

She shot up in bed; she was sweating and breathing hard. She savoured every intake of fresh air. Just a nightmare. She was no longer trapped under the rubble of the gym. Steve and Tony saved her.

Steve. He was sat on the edge of her bed looking at her worriedly. Concern etched over his handsome features. Ella looked at him, his blue eyes seemed even bluer in the dim light (she guessed Steve must have got Jarvis to turn the lights on before waking her). Realisation spread across his features, he was no stranger to nightmares.

"It was just a bad dream." He said touching her cheek reassuringly

Ella knew he was right but that didn't stop the tears from falling. One. Then two. Before long she couldn't stop them. Steve wrapped her in his arms, moving her so she was sitting on his lap, her head buried into his chest; sobbing into his t-shirt.

"It was just a bad dream. You're okay." Steve soothed rubbing her back.

"It felt so real" she replied her voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

"You're safe, Ella. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Neither was sure of how long they stayed like that, taking comfort in each other.

"Come on, it's late. Let's get some sleep" Steve suggested as Ella's eyes fluttered tiredly.

"Will you stay? Please?" Ella asked

"I don't think that's a good idea. Tony would-"

"Steve…" Ella said, determined. She really didn't want to be alone right now.

"Of course." Steve nodded letting go of Ella to climb into the bed. He opened his arms to her, letting her take comfort from his warmth. Ella settled against him, her head on his chest. "I'm right here." Steve whispered against her hair.

"Jarvis, lights please." The AI complied so the room was once again in darkness. Ella froze, then she felt Steve's fingers trailing up her arm reminding her there was nothing to be scared of.

"Can you tell me about what you were like? Before the war?" She asked sleepily. For several minutes Steve didn't speak leading Ella to believe he was asleep.

"I had this friend, Bucky. He got me into all sorts of trouble…" Steve started.

/

So what did you think? You have to remember this is all new to Ella so she would be finding it difficult to deal with it in the same way the avengers do. Luckily she has Steve!

Please review! Once again reviews will get a hint of next chapter! Trust me, it's a big one!

Favourite line/scene? Let me know

Next update will be Friday!


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks so much for all the reviews and support! You are all amazing people! And this chapter goes out to all of you! I'm glad you all liked the last chapter! This one is a biggun so I hope it lives up to everything you guys have been hoping for!

/

Ella woke up to light streaming through the curtains of her bedroom, she grimaced trying to snuggle further into her covers before she realised her cover was moving. Ella opened her eyes slowly, the events of last night coming back to her. Steve was on his side with his arms wrapped around her, his hands resting on her back sending trails of fire up her spine. Ella was also lying on her side with her head buried into Steve's chest; her hands were resting on his chest, his heartbeat steady against her palm. She couldn't believe he stayed with her all night, never before had a guy done that for her. Normally they left before she woke up in the morning Steve really was something else. Ella raised her head to look at him, he was still fast asleep.

There was something about lying there with Steve that was so right, she felt safe and happy. Ella often wondered what Steve actually was to her. He was her best friend but he was more than that. She thought back to the first time she saw him in the kitchen arguing with her brother, going to dinner together and eating the world's best brownies, ditching work at the lab to see the city with him, riding on his motorbike with her wrapped around him, kissing his cheek when he left on the mission and worrying about him everyday until he came back, seeing his face when she woke up in the recovery room. No, she couldn't be? Could she? Was it possible she was falling for Steve? By the way her heart was currently beating manically in her chest the answer was yes, it was very possible.

Steve shifted slightly, stretching. He opened his eyes to look at Ella, "Good Morning," he said softly, damn his voice sounded sexy in the morning

"Morning" She smiled stretching out at well, it was only then did Steve realise their position. He blushed before withdrawing his arms. Ella instantly missed the warm, there was no way Steve liked her; he was just being a good friend.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly causing a blush to spread across his neck

"It's okay, listen, thank you for yesterday. It means a lot to me."

"Anytime, I know what nightmares are like. Ever since the war and the plane I have been getting them too." Steve explained.

"I use to get them really bad when I was a kid, I thought I out grew them."

"Ella, can I ask you something?"

"Of course"

"I was wondering if maybe you'd like too, umm-" Steve began

"Sorry Captain Rogers but Dr Banner wants to see you in the labs, he wants to talk to you about the Lumia." Jarvis' voice cut it.

"I should go." Steve asked as they both moved off the bed. Ella nodded, damn Jarvis and his rotten timing.

"Yeah, but I'll see you later?" She asked

"Absolutely." Steve smiled before turning to leave.

Ella sighed as she heard the elevator doors closed; she threw herself back onto the bed, holding back a moan as the action jostled her ribs. She decided a shower was in order as she needed to change her bandages then she was determined to go and see Natasha and Clint. She wanted to make sure they were okay with her own eyes.

Ella showered and dressed in record time, her bra proving to be the most difficult and painful. She managed it though before setting out to Natasha and Clint's floor.

"Natasha? Clint?" She called out as she stepped off the elevator. Their floor was set out much like Ella but with dark colours. Rich browns and reds making the floor seem warmer somehow.

"Hey, how are you?" Natasha asked coming round the corner to greet her.

"I'm okay, just a cracked rib. What about you and Clint?"

"I'm fine. Clint is the worst patient ever though; if it was anyone else I would have killed them just to get some peace." Natasha muttered causing Ella to laugh.

"I know, Tony is just the same, I feel sorry for Pepper."

"You checking up on us?" Natasha asked as she turned on her heel and walking into the first room on the left, Ella followed blindly.

"Just wanted to see how you're doing" She smiled and waved at Clint was who sitting on the couch with his broken leg raised on a coffee table. Clint smiled and waved back.

"Mini-Stark! I'm glad you're okay. We would have come to see you but Bruce doesn't think I should move unless I have to."

"That's okay, I'm fine." Ella reassured

"The Lumia won't be when I get my hands on them." Natasha all by growled, the glass in her hand cracking from her fierce grip.

"Nat, easy. Besides I think you will have to get in line behind Steve first." Clint chuckled, Ella looked at him confused.

"What do you mean?"

"The way Cap was while we were waiting for you to wake up." Clint said, continuing when he realised this was all news to Ella, "He didn't leave your side; I don't think Tony understood why but it's so obvious. The guy loves you. Trust me; I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of Cap if anyone ever hurt you."

Ella was speechless, surely Clint has it wrong. Steve didn't love her, he cared about her as a friend but that was it. He couldn't possibly like her; then again they did almost kiss. He wanted that too right, otherwise he wouldn't have leaned in. Damn this was all so confusing.

"He's right; I have never seen Cap like that except for with you. We are assassins, we are trained to notice everything and I would put money on the fact the guy loves you, Ella." Natasha added

"Trust me, you have it wrong. Cap and me, we're friends. That's it besides I know all about Peggy, he loves her not me."

"Peggy was a long time ago; Steve is a different person now. He's moved on, just don't hurt him. Steve doesn't fall for a girl the way normal 21st century guys do. When he does, it means a big thing to him. Don't enter anything with him lightly Ella." Natasha warned, "If you hurt him, I'm going to have to hurt you. He is our leader, part of our family."

/

Steve sighed as he sat down in the chair nearest to him.

"I need your help Dr Banner." He sighed again. They had finished talking about the Lumia which was leading them to a dead end. Tony couldn't finish the search without finishing Jarvis' rewiring but it was taking longer than they thought. It the mean time they were sitting ducks for whatever the Lumia had planned next. That was not a feeling any of them liked.

"What's up Steve?" Bruce asked taking off his glasses. He pulled a chair up next to the Captain and waited patiently for his response.

"I like Ella" he admitted looking at the floor, "hell, I really like her. More than a friend." Steve clarified; Bruce looked stunned by the revelation.

"It was about time you realised it."

"What? You knew?" Steve asked

"Of course, anyone who saw you in a room together would be able to tell. I don't see how that's a problem though."

"She is Tony's sister. Tell me Tony doesn't know, he would kill me."

"Tony doesn't know, he doesn't really pay attention to things he deems as unimportant." Bruce laughed, "Still doesn't explain the problem."

"What if she doesn't like me? What if she likes me but I mess everything up because I haven't really been in a relationship before. I mean in my time things were done differently. I have no idea what to do, the only person I ever thought I liked was Peggy and that was 70 years ago. Besides we shared a kiss, nothing more. My feelings for Ella, they're different, stronger." Steve explained running a hair through his hair. Bruce nodded now understanding the problem.

"Steve, trust me on this. Ella likes you; you should have seen her while you were away. She was worried sick about you, she asked about you everyday. You just need to be yourself and ask her out. Ella knows you; she knows where you're from. You should take her on a date, tell her the truth and go from there." Bruce reasoned

"Maybe you're right. But were do I take her?"

"No way, you're on your own there. Besides you know Ella better than I do. Where do you think she would like?"

"I have the perfect idea!" Steve exclaimed after a few moments thought. Thanks Bruce!" She shouted as he jogged out of the lab.

Bruce chuckled to himself, "You're welcome, Cap."

/

Ella lay down on her couch; she had just got back from visiting Clint and Natasha. She met Tony in the elevator who updated her on the Lumia and the rewiring, apparently the gym was being rebuild and thanks to Tony's money and connections it would only take a few more days before they could use it again. He quickly kissed her cheek before running towards his workshop. Ella laughed; Tony really was a big kid sometimes.

Her thoughts quickly turned to Steve. She was thinking about him a lot lately. Ella liked him a lot but he was Steve, her best friend. Ella had a habit of ruining her relationships and she didn't want that to happen with her and Steve. He meant too much to her, and then again she had never felt this way about anyone else before. She had been in love or at least she thought she had but this felt stronger, deeper. Maybe Clint and Natasha got it wrong, maybe he didn't like her that way. Ella couldn't help the voice in the head of her head that questioned her; because what if he did like her that way and what if it would be the best thing to ever happen to her?

A knock on her door brought her out of her thoughts; Ella got up and made her way to the door. The man plaguing her thoughts smiled at her.

"Steve, what are you doing here?" She asked as she led him into the living room.

"I actually had something I wanted to talk to be about and I couldn't wait any longer." He smiled sheepishly.

"Tea?" She asked

"Yeah please." Steve wiped his hands against his jeans, why was he so nervous? "Listen Ella, I…."

"Steve? You okay?" She asked, Ella had never seen him this nervous before, it was makes her edgy.

"I wanted to ask if you…." Steve started, he couldn't seem to find the words to form the right sentence, "Forget it." He muttered.

Steve moved over to her, pinning her body between his and the wall. Ella looked at him confused before Steve leaned forward placing his lips against hers. Ella gasped but quickly began to kiss him back. Her hands went to his shoulders, his hair, while Steve's were at her waist. He moved them to her back, bringing her closer to him. Ella couldn't think straight, everything was just Steve.

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" He asked slightly out of breath after they had pulled away.

Ella smiled and blushed, "I'd love too."

"Tomorrow night? I will pick you up here at 7?" Steve asked Ella could only nod.

"Steve wait, don't you think we should talk about this?" Ella asked

Steve nodded, "Right sorry, I got caught up in the moment."

"You're not the only one!" Ella laughed. She grabbed his hand leading him to the couch.

"I really like you Ella, all I could think about on that mission was you. Then when we found out you were trapped in the gym my heart stopped, I thought I wouldn't get the chance to tell you. I tried this morning but we got interrupted, it seems to happen a lot to us." Steve laughed

"Steve, I feel the same way. I just couldn't believe you like me in that way. I mean you're Captain America, you can have any girl you want."

"You're the only girl I want" Steve said looking her in the eye, Ella blushed under his intense stare. "I was just scared to ask you out, I mean I have never really done this before and I don't want to mess this up with you. You're too important to me."

"Steve I like you for who you are, you could never mess this up. We can figure this out together." Ella reassured him

"So tomorrow night at 7?"

"Absolutely, so where are we going?" Ella asked curiously

"It's a surprise; you are going to love it though." Steve smiled.

/

THEY KISSED! WOOO! So what do you think? Favourite line/scene?

Please review! Reviewers get a hint for next chapter! Woo!

Haha thanks again guys for everything!

Next update is on Sunday!


	13. Chapter 13

THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE! I have had the worst few days and your reviews have really helped and made me smile so thank you!

Anyway as promised here is chapter 13! Date night here we come!

/

Ella nervously tugged at her dress as she looked at herself in the full length mirror in her bathroom. Why was she so nervous? It's not like she had never been on a date before. But this wasn't just any date, it was Steve. Ella had already changed her dress three times and in the end had to call Pepper for help because she had nothing to wear in her small collection of clothes. Pepper arrived in record time with a gorgeous dress that Ella was now wearing. It was a deep purple and came down to just above her knees. The dress had two straps and complimented her figure well. Ella's long brown hair fell down her back in loose curls and Pepper was currently working on her make-up.

"Ella, sit still." Pepper chastised as she reached for the mascara wand on the bathroom counter.

Ella smiled sheepishly, "Sorry Pep, I can't help it. I'm just so nervous."

"You really like Steve don't you?" The red head asked already knowing the answer.

"I really do. He is unlike any other man I have ever met."

"I'm happy for you both. You two deserve to be happy." Pepper smiled, "Right, I'm done."

Pepper moved so Ella could see her reflection properly. She smiled, it was perfect. Pepper kept the make-up minimal and natural just like Ella wanted but her eyes seemed greener now.

"Pepper you are amazing!" Ella exclaimed hugging the CEO.

"I know, trust me the amount of Stark Industries events I have had to go to over the years. I became very good at doing make-up." Pepper explained disappearing into the hall, "So flats or heels?"

"Flats, definitely flats. I can't stand heels, I am always looking at my feet incase I trip over." Ella laughed as she took the black flats from Pepper and slipped them on her feet.

"Hey you told Tony yet?" Pepper asked

"Tony? Why Tony?"

"Seriously, he is your brother. Steve is one of his superhero best friends. I want to see his face!" Pepper laughed

"You don't think he will overreact do you?" Ella asked

"Well when you were in hospital he tried to convince you to go home, so probably."

"Great" The sarcasm was evident in her voice

"Don't worry I can handle Tony." Pepper smirked as she finished checking over Ella's hair and make-up.

A knock at the door caused both girls to freeze. They smiled at each other before Pepper went into the bedroom to hide while Ella went to answer the door.

"Hey." She smiled at Steve

"Hey, these are for you." Steve smiled at her before handing her over a dozen roses; they were wrapped in blue paper with white stars on it. The whole arrangement tied together with a red ribbon. Ella smiled softly as she realised they were the colours of Captain America's uniform.

"Steve, they're beautiful. Thank you." She beamed at him, placing them in the kitchen were she would locate a vase to put them in.

"Not as beautiful as you. You're breath-taking Ella." Steve complimented causing Ella to blush as red as a tomato.

"Not so bad yourself, Captain." Ella smirked. Steve did look rather handsome tonight. He was wearing a button down shirt with a pair of black trousers. A black jacket completing the outfit. His hair was neatly combed as normal and all Ella wanted to do with run her fingers through it, but she held back.

Steve laughed at her comment before taking her hand and leading her out of the tower. They walked out onto the main street instead of going to the garage so Ella assumed wherever they were going, it wasn't too far away.

"So where are we going?" Ella asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"You'll see, we're nearly there."

Steve led her to a nearby lake Ella had never seen before but it was beautiful. It was getting dark out so the lights from the city glistened on the water's surface. It was only when Ella stopped looking at the view that she noticed the picnic blanket laid out. Fairy lights were hung from the nearby trees illuminating the area in a warm glow. Ella stared in awe as Steve led her to the blanket.

"Steve, this is…incredible. You did all this?" Ella asked still taking it all in.

"I got Bruce to help, but this is our first date so I wanted to make it special." Steve blushed

"It's perfect. Thank you." Ella smiled as she squeezed his hand

"I use to come here a lot when I first woke up. It's quiet and peaceful, makes a change from the normal New York noise. It's a beautiful scene to draw too." Steve explained as he started to unpack the picnic basket. Ella could imagine him coming here, sitting here for hours. She felt so honoured that he would share this with her.

"Will you dance with me?" Steve asked once they had finished eating and laughing. Ella couldn't believe it; it was like every minute she spent with Steve only made her like him more.

Ella froze at this, "Steve are you sure about this?" She asked, he told her all about Peggy. She didn't want him to feel like he had to dance with her if it wasn't going to bring back too many painful memories.

"I have never been more sure of anything in my life." Steve reassured her as he stood up, pulling Ella towards him. She melted into his arms like they had done it a thousand times before.

"There's no music." Ella laughed, thinking about how weird it would be dancing without any sound.

"Isn't there?" Steve questioned. Ella laughed harder when she heard the sounds of Ed Sheeran's 'Kiss Me'. She had no idea where it was coming from and frankly she didn't even care. They moved slowly to the music, neither had danced before but they seemed to be getting the hang of it.

"Unbelievable" Steve murmured into her hair

"What is?" Ella asked, her head was on his shoulder, one hand round his back while the other was joined with Steve's.

"I finally found the right partner. It only took me over 70 years." They both laughed at the statement.

Steve moved his hand from Ella's waist, bringing it up to cup her cheek. Ella looked up at him smiling gently. How could she be this lucky? She was dreaming right? Steve used his other hand to tuck a lock of her behind her ear before bringing his lips down to meet hers. Ella still couldn't get use to kissing Steve; it was so different from kissing anyone else. He might be new to the world of romance but he was most definitely a fast learner. The kiss started off slow and gentle Ella had to gasp at the tenderness of it. Before long the kiss turned more passionate, Steve and Ella taking the time to explore each others mouths. It was only when they felt the first drops of rain that they separated.

"I'm really glad I met you." Steve smiled at her

"I'm really glad I met you too." She replied before the downpour started. Steve and Ella looked at each other for a split second before laughing. They had no idea why they were doing it. Steve took off his jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders.

"Thank you." She sighed snuggling further into the heat and scent that was so uniquely Steve, "But won't you get cold?"

"I will be fine; it takes longer to affect me because of the serum." Steve explained. He grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together before they began to half walk, half jog to the tower.

/

The pair got off at Steve's floor soaking wet and still laughing. Ella stopped when the elevator doors opened, this was the first time she had ever seen Steve's floor. It was the same layout as the other living floors but there was more blue in the colour scheme. Ella guessed it was Tony's doing. Instead of a walk in closet like her Steve had an extra small room which he said was his art studio. It was a room with a couch and a desk where he liked to do his drawings.

"I think I have some clothes you can borrow, so you can dry off." Steve explained walking into his room. It was the same size as Ella's but with a blue comforter and lamps on the bedside tables.

"Thanks," Ella replied as he handed her a towel to dry her hair. She noticed something in the corner of the room, Steve's shield. She had never seen it up close before and couldn't help but reach out and touch it. She fingers following the circles of red and white on the shield. Steve watched her carefully.

"Sorry," Ella blushed when she noticed his gaze, "I couldn't resist."

"That's okay; it's just how gently you touched it considering I use it to hurt people with." Steve tried to explain handing Ella a t-shirt and a pair of jogging bottoms.

"It's a part of you, and it keeps you safe therefore that shield is like my best friend right now." Ella joked, Steve laughed before directing her into the bathroom so she could change.

The large white t-shirt swamped her, but it was Steve's so that was bound to happen. It came down to almost the same length as her dress. The jogging bottoms wouldn't even stay up on her body so she folded them back up hoping Steve wouldn't mind if she just wore the t-shirt. After staring at her legs for a few moments Steve insisted it was fine, he too had changed into a t-shirt and jogging bottoms placing their wet clothes into the tumble drier to dry.

"So you can work a tumble drier? You're doing better than me already." Ella laughed

"Yeah, the tumble drier is easy. Its just buttons and all of them have something written on the side so it's easy to figure out. I'm getting the hang on most 21st century things now but texting is still confusing." Steve smiled.

"I find texting too impersonal, I mean if you want to talk to someone then you should just talk to them." Ella nodded.

"Hey I want to show you something." Steve said as he took her hand leading her into his art studio. He went over to his desk putting out an A4 sketch pad. "We had a deal right? I still haven't held up my end." Steve explained as he handing it over to her. Ella laughed, she couldn't believe he still remembered the deal they made when they first when to dinner together. She sat on the couch with Steve next to her. She curled into his side as she opened the sketch pad. Steve sunk further into the couch wrapping an arm around her.

His sketches were beautiful. The first one was of the lake in the day light. Ella could see the city skyscrapers in the background and their reflections in the water. The next picture was a scene from the battle of New York. The city was a mess and there was a big hole in the sky. The next one was of a man in an army uniform.

"Bucky." Steve explained, Ella smiled gently.

She flipped through the rest of the sketch pad seeing pictures of all the avengers as well as some she didn't recognise but Steve explained they were from his childhood, growing up in Brooklyn.

"Steve, these are beautiful." Ella said as she reached the last picture. Each one seemed alive, the shadings and details were perfect. Steve smiled at her in response, his fingers playing with the ends of her damp hair.

"Ella, I've never felt this way about anyone before." Steve said softly, his sketch all since forgotten about.

"Not even Peggy?" Ella asked, she didn't want to hurt him but if they were having this conversation now then she wanted to be sure.

"Not even Peggy. She was a great woman but we shared one kiss and that was it. My feelings for you are stronger than any of the ones I had for her." Steve explained. Ella reached up to plant a kiss on his jaw.

"I feel the same way about you, Steve."

"I just don't want to hurt you."

"Steve, you could never hurt me." Ella assured him

"Maybe not directly but I'm Captain America, I have enemies and I don't want them to use you to get to me. If anything happened to you I would never forgive myself."

"Steve, I want to be with you. Whatever happens we can deal with it, together." Ella replied.

Steve nodded before kissing her soundly. They spent the rest of the night talking, laughing and kissing. Falling asleep in the early hours of the morning still on the couch together.

/

So what do you think? Favourite scene/line? Hope it lived up to your expectations.

Please review! They do mean so much to any writer. Reviewers will get a hint for next chapter!

Next update will be Tuesday! Wooo!


	14. Chapter 14

Hello lovely readers! OMG thank you for the reviews, favourites and follows! Can you believe where are only at chapter 14 and we already have 92 reviews! I cant! Thank you all so much! Let's see if we can get to 100, what do you think? Do-able?

And now I would like to present to you chapter 14!

/

"Captain Rogers? Miss Stark?" Jarvis' voice sounded throughout the room waking Ella from her sleep. She blinked a few times realising she wasn't in her room but on the couch in Steve's art studio. They had fallen asleep there after spending hours talking to each other. Ella and Steve were lying length-ways along the small couch which really wasn't big enough for too, especially when one of those two people were Steve. If it wasn't for the strong arm wrapped around her waist Ella was sure she would have fallen on the floor by now.

"Captain Rogers?! Miss Stark?!" Jarvis' voice sounded out again, this time louder. It startled Steve awake causing him to rapidly move into a sitting position on the couch therefore causing Ella to fall onto the floor in an ungraceful heap.

"Ella! Sorry, you okay?" Steve asked grabbing her hand to pull her back up onto the couch.

"Ouch, yeah I'm fine," Ella replied rubbing her arm which took most of the damage. Luckily her ribs weren't too bad today. "Next time we have a sleep over we are sleeping on a bed." She stated causing them both to blush.

"Captain Rogers, Miss Stark. I have been asked to inform everyone in the building that Mr Stark is calling a meeting in an hour regarding the Lumia." Jarvis said.

Ella groaned, what with the new changes to hers and Steve's relationship she had almost forgotten about the ongoing threat to the avengers. Almost.

"He must have managed to repair Jarvis' damaged circuits." Ella thought aloud knowing that Tony had pretty much been working non-stop to get the AI fully operational and back online.

"We should get ready and get down there." Steve spoke running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, I need to get back to my floor and change" Ella replied looking down at the large white t-shirt she was still wearing from the night before. She rose from the couch to collect her dress which was still in the tumble drier along with the clothes Steve was wearing last night for their date.

"So I guess I'll see you down there." Steve asked rising from the couch so he could walk her to the door.

Ella smiled, "Yeah," she said before leaning up to kiss him. Steve instantly wrapped his arms around her returning it.

"I still can't get over the fact I can kiss you now." Steve laughed as they pulled away. Ella gave him one last peck on the lips before opening the door leading to the elevator.

"Hey Steve?" She called back

"Yeah?"

"I had a really great time last night." They both smiled at each other.

/

It was only when Ella got back to her floor that she realised she was still wearing Steve's shirt; luckily there was no one else in the elevator so no-one saw her. She threw the dress over the back of the chair smiling widely as she did. Maybe she would just steal the shirt from him; it was definitely comfortable and still smelled like him. She went into the bathroom to run a shower, stripping down she noticed the bruises from her ribs had gone down significantly, now they were a yellowish colour rather than the blueish purple they were a few days ago. Hopefully in another few days the bruises would be gone altogether.

Ella showered and dressed making it to the meeting room with plenty of time to spare. Clint and Natasha were already there along with Pepper and Bruce. Pepper gave her a knowingly look causing Ella to blush wildly. She sat down next to the CEO trying to avoid her intense gaze. Luckily she didn't have to do it for long, Tony and Steve walked into the room together, clearly discussing something to do with the Lumia and the new information Tony had seemingly uncovered. Steve took a seat next to Bruce as Tony got started.

"Right, I managed to get Jarvis back up and running. It wasn't too bad once I re-routed the server and…" he trailed off seeing the blank faces of the other people in the room.

"Never mind. So I got him to run a search on everyone that came into the building on the day of the explosion. Two names came back. Chad Haynes and Paul Newman, now Paul Newman was with Pepper the whole time discussing a business deal with Stark Industries so Chad Haynes is our best bet. He has been in and out of prison from various offences." Tony continued

"Hold on, how did he get into the building?" Natasha asked

"He was part of the workforce rebuilding the Tower after the New York explosion. He didn't draw any attention to himself. Came in, did the work and left just like every other guy working on the repairs." Tony explained

"That means the Lumia has been planning this for a long time. They made sure he wouldn't be detected so he could plant the bomb." Steve explained

"It means those bastards planted someone in my home to hurt my friends. And they think they have gotten away with it. They're wrong." Tony argued

"Tony you can't do anything stupid, we need to find out what their plan is so we can stop it." Ella reasoned watching cautiously as Tony clenched and unclenched his fists, ruffling the piece of paper he was holding.

"I'm not going to do anything stupid, El. I am going to talk to him though." Tony replied

"You know where he is?" Clint asked wanting to have a conversation with the guy that tried to kill him too.

"According to Jarvis he lives locally, just outside the city. Two hour drive from here. Interested?"

"Hell yeah!" Clint replied before Natasha elbowed him in the ribs giving him a glare.

"You are still in a cast for your leg. I'm going." Natasha replied

"Alright me and Natasha will go today see what Mr Haynes has to say for himself." Tony nodded.

"Natasha, are you sure that's a good idea? Stark can be a little brash." Steve asked

"Don't worry Cap, I can handle Stark." She smiled

/

"You sure this is the right place?" Tony asked Natasha as they pulled up to the location Jarvis had given. It looked more like a shack than a home, wooden beams painted in a faded yellow colour that were barely in place. One strong wind and Tony doubted the shack would even still be standing.

"It's where the directions lead to, let's check it out." Natasha said turning off the engine and stepping out of the car. She had insisted on driving and Tony didn't want to question her considering she was a ninja assassin and all. Tony had been clinging to his seat the entire journey, he liked to drive fast but Natasha; she _really _liked to drive fast.

The door was locked but Natasha found a window that was open, she gracefully climbed through it, letting Tony in from the other side of the door.

"You know, if spy work doesn't work out so should become a robber." Tony remarked as he stepped over the threshold. The shack was less impressive on the inside; it was dank and smelled like a brewery.

"The Lumia is paying him a whole heap of money and yet he still lives like this?" Tony asked, nudging a stack of papers with his foot.

"Maybe he isn't doing it for the money." Natasha reasoned as they looked around the rest of the building.

"I don't think anyone is home." Tony called out after almost gagging at the state of the bedroom. Before Natasha could answer they heard someone shout, Tony was knocked to the ground as a figure ran past him. Natasha was quick into action. Natasha sprung up, pulling the guy back towards her. He threw his head back trying to dislodge her but Natasha was quicker. She avoided the blow turning around to throw a punch. The guy did a double take, spitting blood on the ground as he did. He lunged for her but Natasha wrapped herself around him like a snake. The guy threw himself backwards slamming Natasha into a wall causing her to drop from his back. Tony came into view placing a well aimed punch to the guy's stomach. He doubled over in pain causing Natasha to jump onto his back once more, securing an arm around his neck.

"One move and you die." She whispered in his ear. The guy froze, raising his hands slowly in a surrender action, "Good boy" she commented before sliding off his back.

"We just want to talk to someone called Chad Haynes." Tony explained trying to get the grime off his expensive suit. Natasha laughed at him.

"You should have brought your Iron Man suit." She remarked as she turned the guy round to face her, cocking a gun in his face.

"I'm Chad Haynes." He spoke in a deep accent

"Well hi, Chad. Mind telling me what you were playing at planting a bomb in our home?" Tony asked sarcastically.

"I was following orders." He said simply

"Orders from the Lumia?" Natasha asked, "Start talking!"

"Never, they will kill me."

"We will kill you if you don't!" Tony shouted Natasha raised an eyebrow at him, that wasn't part of the plan.

"Listen you came into my home, hurt people I care about. I don't like you very much, and that's not a great place to be." Tony said menacingly. His face inches away from Chad, causing the other man to lean back.

"They recruited me while I was in prison, said I could help them do great things. My mission was to get into Stark Tower without anyone getting suspicious then wait for their signal." Chad said eyes trained on Natasha's gun.

"What are they planning next?" Natasha demanded

"I don't know. My mission was the plant the bomb. My contract to them ended when I completed that mission. Whatever their next plan is I am not a part of it." Chad insisted.

"See I have this rule, never believe criminals." Tony remarked

"I swear, all I know is they are building up for something. The bomb was phase 1, the first step. If I were you I would get running." Chad smirked. Natasha pressed the gun into his shirt lining the barrel up with his heart.

"Where are they?"

"I don't know! They communicated with me through phone calls and emails. Never in person." Chad replied wincing as Natasha's gun pressed harder against his chest. "I'm dead anyway, I have said too much. All I know is the Lumia, they are scientists, we are nothing but their foot soldiers; we are replaceable." Chad sighed.

Natasha pulled her gun away from his chest. This was new information. The Lumia were scientists, the news article, the bomb they weren't the main event. They were plots to get the avengers running scared. Warm ups to the real thing.

A gun shot rang out through the shack. Tony and Natasha dropped to the ground, shielding themselves as best they could. One single shot was fired then silence.

"What was that? The Lumia? If so they are rubbish shots." Tony remarked pulling himself up into a sitting position behind the wall.

"No they aren't." Natasha said crawling over to Chad, "We weren't the target, Tony. Chad was." She said motioning to his body which was soaked in blood, a single shot wound where Natasha's gun had been previously.

"Why Chad? They could have killed us like that; we wouldn't have even known they were there." Tony said confused.

"They don't want to kill us, at least not yet. This is a game to them. No game if you kill the other players." She explained as she brought out her phone.

"So they killed him as a punishment? Because he told us what he knew?" Tony asked, Natasha nodded not looking up from her phone.

"Never thought I would feel sorry for the guy that planted a bomb in my home." Tony sighed looking down at Chad Haynes; he knew nothing about the guy, not really. Did he have a family? "What you doing?" He asked Natasha who was still on her phone.

"Calling Fury in to clean this mess up. We should get back to the Tower. If Chad's right the bomb was only step one. Who knows what step two is?"

/

So what do you think? Thought it was time for some action and suspense! Hope you liked the chapter!

Favourite scene/line? Had to add more Tony and Natasha into it! Their characters are brilliant!

Please Review! Let's see if we can get to 100 shall we? Reviewers will get a hint for next chapter! I hope you don't mind the little teasers I give you; I like to get people guessing about the next chapter! ;p

Next update on Thursday! Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

Hey you guys! Thanks for the reviews and support! This is a big chapter in the development of Steve/Ella or STELLA as one review named them!

Hope you like it! We have reached chapter 15! BOOM!

/

"So after all that we are still no closer to finding these people?" Clint asked. Natasha and Tony had just finished filling everyone in on the events of the day and what happened to Chad Haynes. All the avengers and Ella were sitting around the kitchen table with a large selection of Thai food in front of them. The drive home had taken them longer than expected as they had to stop to get gas so Tony and Natasha stopped off at a nearby take-out to get dinner for everyone.

"No, we know more about the Lumia. They're scientists, a highly elite group by the sounds of it." Natasha argued

"Why would scientists want to kill the avengers? Aren't you guys meant to be on the same side?" Ella asked as she speared some vegetables onto her fork.

"That's the thing. I can't figure it out. Why would scientists care about the avengers? I feel like I am missing something and in the meantime they are getting ready for another attack against us." Tony fumed tapping his fork against his plate furiously.

"Tony calm down, we will figure this out." Pepper soothed placing a hand on top of his to stop the banging of his cutlery. Tony sighed in defeat, slumping in his seat.

"She's right. For now we keep our eyes peeled. Take extra caution with everything, anything seems different or out of the ordinary you call it in." Steve said addressing his team. Ella smiled; it was amazing how well the avengers had knitted together. In the beginning Tony had said they were all over the place but now they really were a team, a family. They weren't going to let this beat them, they were the avengers and they would fight back.

"Cap's right. I had these made up to help us communicate with each other," Tony said rising from the table to collect something from his jacket pocket. "It's a comms system, run by Jarvis. Keep one on you at all time, it goes in your ear and is virtually undetectable. It's a secure system so only people with one of these devices can access it." Tony explained handing one to everyone including Ella and Pepper.

"Hold on why are we getting them? We aren't avengers." Ella asked studying the little device carefully.

"You might not be avengers but both of you are part of this team now. We protect our own." Tony explained before turning to the other avengers, "Right guys?"

The chorus of yeses was really all that needed to be said on the matter, it was the Avengers way of accepting the two outsiders officially into their lives. Ella suspected Pepper had been accepted a long time ago considering how she pretty much was like a mom to the Avengers. Ella smiled at everyone, never before had she felt so welcome and happy and the only think she could think of was why didn't she come to stay with Tony sooner?

/

Ella strummed her fingers against her guitar strings humming along as she played 'Right Place, Right Time" by Olly Murs. She had woken up early that morning feeling refreshed and happy after the dinner conversation a few nights ago. She was so focused on the chords she didn't realise Steve was standing in the doorway listening, a smile on his face. Ella slowed the chords down as the song came to an end prompting Steve to move from his place against the door frame, coming up behind her to kiss her shoulder. Ella jumped before realising who it was, leaning into his embrace. She still couldn't get over the fact her and Steve were now dating. This incredible, beautiful, caring man was all hers. Ella placed the guitar down coming round the back of the couch to greet her boyfriend properly.

Steve smiled at her, placing a loving kiss against her lips.

"I thought you were training this morning?" Ella asked as Steve wrapped his strong arms around her. The avengers had really been on red alert since the day with Chad Haynes. Each one making sure they were ready for anything. Steve, Clint and Natasha all spent more time in the newly redecorated gym. Clint had been pushing himself more to get back onto his broken leg which was still healing. Tony and Bruce had spent most of their time in the labs but Ella didn't have a clue what they were doing down there. She suspected they were working on Tony's suits but she couldn't be sure.

"I was but for some reason I wasn't able to focus because my thoughts kept wandering to a certain someone." Steve explained nodding his head towards Ella, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

Ella giggled, "Nope, I can't say I do." She teased

"Oh really?" Steve asked before he began to tickle her sides. Ella tried getting away from him, laughing the whole time. How did he know she was ticklish?

"Steve…" She giggled as he continued his attack, laughing too.

Eventually he stopped letting Ella catch her breath. She smacked his chest playfully causing him to chuckle.

"So you don't want your present then?" he asked innocently.

"Present?" Ella asked. Steve smiled before withdrawing a small box of brownies from his jacket pocket.

"The world's best brownies!" Ella smiled remembering their first dinner together. She leaned up on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek before taking the box from him. Steve was so sweet. Ella placed the box on the kitchen counter before joining Steve on the couch.

"I think we should tell Tony about us." Steve blurted out catching Ella off guard.

"Do we have to?" Ella whined, Tony had already proven his had an overprotective streak when it came to her and she really didn't want Steve to be on the receiving end of that.

"I think so. I'm serious about you, you're serious about me. He is going to find out eventually, he is the only one who doesn't know." Steve replied taking her hand, rubbing his thumb over it as he talked.

"Really?" Ella asked, and here she thought they were clueless to hers and Steve's relationship. Well other than Pepper of course.

"Yeah, I told Bruce when I said I wanted to ask you out, then this morning Natasha and Clint called me out on it." Steve smiled sheepishly. Ella laughed.

"I guess you're right. We should tell him, I just don't want him to freak out over this." Ella confessed

"I think he will be fine with it, I'm sure he only wants you to be happy. Besides, I want to be able to kiss you whenever I want and tuck your hair behind your hair when it falls in front of your face. It's not like we were trying to keep it secret anyway." Steve said softly, Ella heart beat harder in her chest.

"Well when you put it like that. I will tell him when he gets back from his board meeting. He is meeting me up here anyway to show me some program he is developing." Ella explained.

Ella reached up, her fingers ghosting along Steve's jaw. Steve felt his heart hammer in his chest at her touch causing him to lean into it. Ella kissed him passionately, both losing themselves in the kiss. Ella always felt like she was about catch fire whenever Steve touched her, even the slightly brush of his hand was enough for her to get butterflies in her stomach and her heart rate to increase. Steve loved how well Ella fit in his arms; it still astounded him how when he first woke up he had nothing and now he had a team, a family and her. It was almost like he was meant to be stuck in that ice, like he was meant to be here. Steve threaded a hand in her hair, deepening the kiss. Both were so caught up in each other they failed to realise the elevator door open on her floor.

"Ella! I need to you to….. What the hell!?" Tony demanded. The pair on the couch sprang apart as if someone had chucked water over them. Both looked at Tony with a guilty expression and both were blushing furiously.

Ella got off the couch, straightening her shirt, "Tony, I can explain." She started but was promptly cut off

"Explain what? Why you and Spangles are lip-locking on your couch? How long has this been going on?" Tony shouted

"A few weeks." Ella replied softly, this was not how she wanted Tony to find out about her and Steve. She wanted to get him calm first.

"Weeks! You have been dating for weeks and you didn't tell me?"

"Tony, you are blowing this way out of proportion, we were planning to tell you today. Steve makes me really happy; can't you just be happy for us?" Ella asked approaching Tony slowly.

"Happy for you! You're dating a man 70 years older than you. A superhero. He has enemies Ella, what if he can't keep you safe? What if something happens to you?"

"Something might happen to me everyday, Tony! Besides you're a superhero too so you're a bit late with that speech!" Ella replied

"Tony, I would never do anything to hurt her." Steve spoke for the first time walking over to the older man.

"And you, you were meant to be looking out for her not secretly dating her behind my back." Tony said, directing his rant at Steve now.

"It wasn't like we planned for this to happen. I care about her Tony." Steve replied

"Come on Capiscle! She is my baby sister; I'm just trying to protect her." Tony argued, Steve was getting angrier by the minute, he understood where Tony was coming from him he cared about Ella too.

"I LOVE HER!"

Everyone in the room froze. The statement hanging in the air for several seconds, "I'm in love with her." Steve spoke again, softer this time.

Ella stepped forward grabbing Steve's hand. She couldn't believe she just heard that right. Steve loved her? Ella was speechless, she had been in relationships before but never had anyone said they loved her. The pair stared at each other before Ella turned her gaze to Tony.

"And I love him." She said simply, meaning every word.

Tony sighed in defeat.

"I guess I can't argue against that." He muttered, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted at you. You have to understand she is my sister, the only one I have. Promise me you will look after her?" Tony asked, his question directed at Steve.

Steve smiled, "I promise."

"And do me a favour, no PDA in front of me okay. This is still going to take some getting use too." Ella laughed at the statement while Steve looked confused.

"PDA?" Steve asked

"Public Displays of Affection." Ella explained, "Do you think he is going to be okay?" Ella asked as she watched Tony leave the room.

"I think he is going to be just fine." Steve smiled

/

They love each other! AWWWW! So what do you think?

Favourite line/scene?

Please review they mean the world to me and you get a teaser for next chapter! Woo!

Thanks again for everything guys!

Next update: Saturday!


	16. Chapter 16

Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews! I know most of you wanted to see Tony being a bit more protective towards Ella and don't worry it will come! Not in this chapter, I think it's the next one! So there is something to look forward too!

/

"It's just weird Pepper! It's Capiscle and my little sister!" Tony ranted to Pepper who was sitting up in bed looking over some notes she made from the business meeting she had that morning. Tony had entered the room about 20 minutes ago and had proceeded to rant about Steve and Ella while he got ready for bed.

"Tony do you want Ella to be happy?" Pepper asked him as he continued to pace in front of the bed.

"Of course I do but…"

"Do you trust Steve to look after her?" Pepper continued cutting him off. Tony sighed

"Yes, I mean its Rogers; he knows how to be respectful to women but…"

"But nothing. Tony, Steve makes Ella happy. I know you worry about her but she is a grown woman now and she knows what she wants. Clearly it's Steve." Tony cringed slightly at the statement, "Tony stop being a child about this, you should be happy it is Steve and not some random guy off the street you know nothing about. You trust Steve with your life so you know he can take care of Ella." Pepper finished causing Tony to stand still and ponder what she had said.

"I know you're right but we live together. What happens if they break up? The makes it awkward for everyone here." Tony replied, Pepper raised her eyebrow at him causing he knew he was losing the argument because that statement was really clutching at straws.

"Seriously? Come on, Steve and Ella wouldn't do anything if they weren't sure of what they felt for each other. Tony, they love each other its clear to see. You were the one who said Steve needed to get out and start living again."

"But with my sister!?"

"Tony, come on! You have to admit they make a great couple and I really don't see why you are so against this." Pepper sighed as she closed the file in her lap, setting it on the bedside table next to her.

"I'm not against it. I just, I don't know…" Tony trailed off, "I'm being ridiculous aren't I?"

"And we have a breakthrough!" Pepper laughed, "So can we go to bed now? I have to be in the office early tomorrow."

"Really because I was thinking, you know…" Tony said trailing off, his eyes finishing the sentence. Pepper laughed

"Nope, I know what you're thinking and the answer is no." Pepper laughed but Tony took no notice, instead he began kissing her shoulder softly.

"Tony!" Pepper chastised but Tony continued his administrations. Pepper sighed again giving into his touch.

Deep down Tony knew Pepper was right, out of all the guys in the world his little sister could date Steve was definitely one of the best ones but he would still be having a little chat with Spangles, just to make sure they were both on the same page. As long as Ella or Pepper didn't find out and kill him from being 'overprotective'.

/

"So you love me?" Ella said. They were still on her floor after Tony had left. They were in the kitchen while Steve made them some coffee. Ella thought they should talk about this new revelation but didn't really know how else to bring it up.

Steve laughed at the rapid change in the conversation, "Yeah, it wasn't exactly how I planned on telling you but I meant what I said. I love you Ella." Ella felt another bolt of butterflies in her stomach at the words.

"I love you too, Steve." She replied simply

"You have no idea how great it is to hear you say that." Steve smiled, "I thought Tony was going to kill me when I first said it." Steve laughed

"Believe me I do, I have wanted to say it for a while I just I was a bit too scared to admit it to myself. Don't worry about Tony; Pepper will talk some sense into him." Ella laughed

"Why were you scared?" Steve asked softly, reaching out to tuck a stray curl behind her ear.

"Incase you didn't feel the same way." Ella mumbled looking down at the floor slightly ashamed. Steve set the coffee mug down; bring both his hands to her face so Ella was looking at him again.

"Never think I don't love you, okay. I've known you for over 8 months now and I know this is happening a little fast but you're the most important thing to me Ella." Steve said.

Ella was speechless, Steve's word were replaying in her head. It didn't feel fast considering all the time they spent tip-toeing around each other in the beginning. Ella didn't know what to say so she chose the first thing to came into her head.

"I really do love you." She whispered.

Steve smiled, leaning down to kiss her softly. Ella wrapped her arms around him. They pulled back after a minute just looking into each others eyes. Ella noticed how Steve's eyes seemed to darken, becoming a deeper blue. They reconnected they're lips, this time the kiss was more frantic, heated. Steve walked them back so Ella was pressed up against his front and the wall. She gasped and Steve used it to explore her mouth. Ella could barely think, let alone breathe. Her hands were in his hair messing up his normal neat hairstyle. Steve's hands were everywhere, her waist, her back.

"Steve…" Ella breathed against his ear as Steve moved his mouth down to explore the skin of her neck. He didn't reply, instead lifting her up into his arms. Ella locked her legs round his waist as he walked them into her bedroom.

Steve sat down on the bed with Ella in his lap. She reconnected their lips once more leaning down so Steve had his back pressed against the mattress. Ella kissed along his jaw as her fingers worked on the buttons of his shirt. She had just finished the last button, getting a very nice view of his impressive chest when Steve rolled them over so he was hovering above her on the mattress.

"Steve," Ella sighed again. How could one man make her feel this way? One touch had her trembling and craving more. Her voice seemed to pull Steve to the realisation of their situation. He pulled back, sitting up slowly.

"Maybe we should slow this down." Steve sighed while Ella tried to get her breathing back to normal. She was sure she looked a mess. Her hair was tangled; her shirt had been pushed up to reveal most of her stomach. The trail of Steve's hands still felt like fire on her skin. Ella sat up slowly, readjusting her clothing.

"Steve, are you okay?" Ella asked placing a hand on his bicep

"Yeah, I just…I mean I have never…" Steve trailed off. Ella caught on instantly. Steve was still a virgin. It made sense considering he was a little busy trying to win a war to have time for women. Then to make matters worst he spent the next 70 years stuck in ice. It wasn't exactly ideal for dating.

"It's okay. We don't have to do anything until you're ready Steve. I would never push you into something like that." Ella said softly kissing his shoulder in reassurance.

"You're not disappointed?" Steve asked softly looking at her for the first time.

"Disappointed? Never. Do I want to sleep with you? Of course I do but I want you to be ready. I want our first time, your first time to be special. We can wait, Steve. I love you we don't have to rush anything." Ella replied smiling at him.

"You really are incredible, you know that?" Steve laughed kissing her forehead.

"You might have mentioned it once or twice." Ella teased glad it wasn't awkward between them. She would wait for Steve forever if she had too.

"I love you, Ella." Steve replied grabbing the hand that was still resting on his bicep. Ella smiled.

"Come on Cap, we should get some sleep." Ella said yawning slightly. She pushed Steve back slightly so he was lying down again. Ella curled up next to him with her head on his chest listening to his heartbeat. Steve wrapped his arms around her pulling her in closer to him. Ella fell asleep almost instantly. Steve laughed before reaching down to wrap the cover around them. He kissed her nose lightly causing Ella to winkle it in her sleep. Steve pulled her even closer before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep himself.

/

"Hey Bruce you busy?" Tony called out from the lab the next afternoon.

"Define busy" Bruce called out from where he was staring at a dozen or so Stark screens. Each one displaying a different piece of data.

"I'm going to take that as a no." Tony said turning off the nearest screen. "We are going out."

"Out? Out where?" Bruce asked sceptically

"Don't worry big guy, no stress involved. I forgot to go shopping again so Pepper is on the warpath. I am getting take-out so world war 3 doesn't break out." Tony explain turning off a few more monitors.

"Why don't you just order it in?" Bruce asked

"Were you not listening? Pepper, warpath. I'm avoiding it, so if I go and pick it up it gives her a chance to calm down." Tony smiled sheepishly. Bruce just sighed.

"Fine, let me grab my coat." Bruce said, knowing if Tony went by himself no one would be eating tonight.

They pulled into a parking space next to the Chinese restaurant where they were going to be picking up dinner. Bruce had voted against Indian food saying it reminded him too much of Calcutta. Bruce stopped on the way into the restaurant, looking around him.

"Tony does something seem off to you?" Bruce asked looking around him once more.

"Wow, we really need to get you out more." Tony remarked as he put a hand on Bruce's shoulder guiding him into the restaurant. For a Saturday night Tony did have to admit it was pretty quiet but he brushed it off. He walked over to the counter where there was a man standing, texting on his phone.

"Excuse me, can we place an order please?" Toy asked politely. The guy looking at him for a split second before smiling. The balding guy didn't say anything, he bend down to retrieve something from the floor. Tony and Bruce looked at each other, both knowing something was off.

A gun shot was fired. It hit the back wall; Tony looked to the balding guy behind the counter, a gun now in his hands.

"Bruce! Run!" Tony shouted as both avengers ran taking cover behind the bar. A hail of gunfire following them. Tables and other furniture was destroyed as the bullets lodged into them.

"Why the hell is he shooting at us?" Tony asked appearing another the side of the bar. The guy saw him opening fire once more.

"Looks like a Lumia attack to me!" Bruce shouted back, his breathing had become shallow and horse.

"Bruce, stay calm, we are going to be fine." Tony tried to calm down his friend but it was too late, Bruce's skin already had a green tint to it, his eyes changing colour from their normal brown to the green of the Hulk's. Tony tapped his earpiece, bringing the comms system to life.

"Avengers? Anyone?" He called out looking over at Bruce once more.

"Tony? What's wrong?" It was Steve's voice but he could hear everyone else muttering in the background.

"We are being attacked, Bruce is hulking out. I could use some backup Cap!" Tony shouted as more gunfire filled the room. Tony looked back at Bruce, his skin was vividly green now and he was growing rapidly in size.

"Don't worry Tony we are on our way." He heard Cap say over the comms before disconnecting.

"Come out, Come out wherever you are." He heard the guy with the gun goad him. Damn it!

"Jarvis, deploy mark 67, quickly." Tony said before slowly standing up from behind the bar. The hulk roared next to him, smashing his way through the bar making his way over the more guys with guns that clearly had the building surrounded.

"Hey now!" Tony said, buying time until his suit arrived, "Nice set up you have here, family run business by day and killers for hire at night?" he teased

"I'm holding a gun; you really want to piss me off right now?" The balding guy sneered back.

"I have a hulk; you really want to piss me off right now?"

"The beast seems to be a bit pre-occupied at the moment." The guy laughed pointing towards the hulk so was very engrossed in smashed up the rest of the building with the back up killers who Tony guessed must have been waiting outside when him and Bruce entered the restaurant.

"So what's the plan here? Kill us?" Tony asked wondering why they hadn't done it yet.

"Oh I'm not here to kill you, Mr Stark. I'm here to bring you in, whatever it takes." The guy sneered opening fire again. Tony dived for cover. Where the hell was his suit? And his back-up?

/

So what do you think? Favourite line/scene? Action! Yay!

Please review! They really do mean the world to me! And you get a hint for the next chapter!

Next update is on Monday!


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you so much for the reviews! I cannot believe the love and support I have received for this story! Hope you like the new chapter!

/

Tony groaned out in pain as a bullet grazed his upper arm, he needed a plan and quickly but he would never make it to safety without his suit. He ducked behind the counter again as more gunfire sounded throughout the restaurant. Tony was just about to ask Jarvis where the hell his suit was when he saw a glimmer of red coming towards him.

"About time!" He muttered as he stepped into the Iron Man suit which opened up for him. He let out a sigh of relief as the suit powered up, bullets having little impact against the metal body work.

"You think you can hide in there?" The balding guy shouted over the roar of the Hulk.

"Who's hiding? I'm bringing the party!" Tony remarked as he activated his repulsors, shooting them towards the shooter. The blast was enough to knock the guy into the wall behind him therefore causing him to drop his gun.

In the distant the Hulk roared again louder this time, even though bullets didn't affect his skin they did make him angry. Tony looked behind him to see half the car park and remaining building had been destroyed along with his car. A pile of unconscious Lumia agents littering the area. Tony could clearly see more cars coming down the road causing him to swear under his breathe.

"Hope you aren't getting tired of smashing big guy." Tony shouted to the Hulk who roared his response. Tony could have sworn he could see a smile on the Hulk's face.

"Jarvis, I am going to need all the power you got, how long until the others get here?"

"Already done sir, Avengers ETA 2 minutes." The AI replied.

"Alright-y then." Tony opened the thrushers and flew off into the sky. He aimed his repulsors at the vehicles causing them to come to a screeching halt on the tarmac. A dozen men all dressed in black piled out of the cars, each one was armed with weapons. The first six aimed for the Hulk while the others focused in on Tony. Iron Man flew closer to them, hitting whatever he could with his repulsors.

"Tony!" He heard someone shouted as a beam of light hit him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. The black figure loomed over him, putting a boot onto Tony's chest. Tony felt the crumpling of his suit pressing into his chest. He winced in pain, then the next thing he knew the pressure was gone. He looked over at the man who was now on the floor with an arrow in his chest. He looked the other way to see the other avengers had arrived.

"Thanks Legolas, cutting it close aren't you?" Tony asked as Steve helped him to his feet.

"More fun that way." Hawkeye smiled before shooting another arrow, he was limping slightly still so Tony suspected his leg wasn't completely healed yet. Natasha stood with him, back to back shooting the remaining guys who were focusing on the Hulk. The worked in perfect sync with each other and Tony realised why they got paired together on many missions. Steve patted Tony on the back before they joined the fight. Tony took to the skies again shooting down anyone that got too closer to his team. Steve wasn't a strange to this kind of combat and was right in the thick of things. He threw his shield, knocking someone clean out before catching it again. Safe to say with all the avengers working together it didn't take long to deal with the Lumia attack. Calming the Hulk down however took a little longer.

/

"Ouch!" Tony almost whined as Ella wiped the blood away from his arm, cleaning the grazing he got from the bullet.

"Tony, sit still or it will hurt more." She sighed as he flinched away from her again. Tony had always been a bad patient; him and the other avengers had come in an hour ago. All of them looked worn and Bruce had asked to be excused the second they had entered the living room. Ella guessed it was because he hulked out, Bruce was still coming to term with his incidents again after not having them for over a year in Calcutta.

"I don't understand those guys had an awful lot of guns for someone who didn't want to kill you." Steve said aloud, it was something all the avengers had been confused by. Pepper shuddered unpleasantly at the thought of them wanting to kill Tony. Tony grabbed her hand reassuringly.

"He said he wanted to bring me in. I have no idea what that means." Tony said as Ella placed a dressing over his arm. She was no doctor but she needed to do something to keep busy. The idea of any of them being hurt made her feel sick. She glanced over at Steve, checking for injures for the hundredth time since he walked through the door. Steve caught her eye and gave her a reassuring smile.

"It means a scientist who employs a group of hit men wants the avengers more than anything and you know what that means?" Clint asked from his seat on the couch. No one answered him for a moment until Natasha spoke up

"The only logical explanation for this is experimentation."

"You mean they want to experiment on you?" Ella asked startled by the latest revelation

"Why else would a scientist by so interested in the avengers?" Clint asked

"It makes sense, Fury said they Lumia didn't like that fact we had special abilities so experimenting on us would be the only way to find out how we got them." Steve nodded as he thought through all the information they had received.

"What do we do?" Natasha asked

"We fight back." Tony declared as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

It was at that moment Bruce came rushing into the room with a newspaper clutched in his hand. He was breathing heavily like he had been running, his clothes ruffled.

"You guys might want to see this." He said as he came into the room, holding up a newspaper article for all to see.

_**AVENGERS DESTROY LOCAL RESTAURANT**_

The headline glared at them and everyone in the room could guess the rest of the article.

"We have to find out who is behind these attacks soon otherwise I might go crazy." Tony muttered as he read the article.

/

It was a few days after the second Lumia attack when Tony found the perfect opportunity to corner Steve. The captain always had his work out sessions very early in the morning every day which made it easy for Tony to wait out in the gym for him. It so still so early that no one else would be up therefore they wouldn't be disturbed.

Right on time Steve walked into the gym in his usual work out attire of grey track pants, a white t-shirt and black converses. He had a bag in one hand and a punching bag slung over his shoulder. Tony smiled.

"Morning Cap." He called out causing Steve to slow his pace.

"Tony, what are you doing here?" Steve asked walking over to the bench to dump his stuff down on the bench.

"I thought we could talk."

"About?"

"Ella." Tony replied before walking towards him. Steve sighed in realisation.

"Tony I get it. She is your little sister but you have to let her make her own decisions."

"No, Spangles I don't think you do get it. Ella is a great girl but she isn't like other girls. She is sensitive and has been through a hell of a lot. I would hate for her to get hurt." Tony said now standing in front of the captain; he squared his shoulders to make himself seem taller.

"I know exactly what type of girl Ella is and it only makes me care about her more. I would never hurt her."

"Really? You can promise me that can you? What about the next time you go out on a mission? Or the next time someone sees her as a weakness to you and she gets hurt?" Tony demanded his voice getting louder.

"Ella knows the risks, but I swear to you I would die before I let anything happen to her."

"That's not good enough!"

"What do you want me to do!? Break up with her? You want me to lie to her and hurt her for your sake?" Steve shouted back.

"It would be better in the long run."

"I can't do that. I am in love with your sister, I never meant for it to happen but I won't hurt her because you think she would be better off that way." Steve replied with conviction.

Tony was getting angrier by the minute. He grabbed fistfuls of Steve's t-shirt furiously, "If you make her shed so much as a tear over you I will end you."

"If I ever hurt her I won't even try to stop you or fight back. I know how much she means to you but maybe you should try listening to her for a change, find out what she wants." Steve replied pulling himself from Tony's grip.

"I don't need you to tell me what I should or shouldn't do."

"Look if you want to hit me then fine, do it." Steve sighed spreading out his arms, "But I don't even get why we are fighting. We both love Ella and want her to be safe and happy. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Because you can't guarantee she will be happy!" Tony replied hastily

"I can promise I will spend the rest of my life trying to make her happy. But I think what will make her really happy right now is if we stopped fighting."

"This isn't over, Rogers. My sister wants to be with you then I will have to accept it but if you hurt her, I will put you back in the ice where you were found with or without my suit." Tony replied giving Steve a shove before spinning on his heel and walking out of the gym. Steve cursed silent before picking up his punching bag, suddenly he had a whole new reason for needing the work-out.

/

"Tony! You down here?" Ella called out as she descended the stairs that led to his workshop.

"I'm here!" Her brother replied from where he was working on repairing his suit. The body armour had taken quite a beating during the fight at the restaurant.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah sure, here pull up a seat." Tony replied kicking a stool in her direction with his foot. Ella grabbed it and sat down gently playing with her hair as she did so.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Tony sighed as he set down his tools to look at her.

"Nothing, everything is fine." She replied a little too quickly

"El, you only play with your hair when you're nervous so spill."

"It's nothing I swear," She said sighing, "I'm just checking you're okay, is all."

Tony smiled at her gently, "I'm fine the bullet barely touched me."

"That's not what I meant. I'm checking you're okay about the whole me and Steve thing."

"We still on that?" Tony sighed

"Tony, you're my brother. I want to make sure you okay with this. I know Steve is you're friend and I don't want to make anything weird between you." Ella confessed

"El, me and Capiscle are fine! He promised not to hurt you and that's good enough for me. Trust me, we have an understanding about it. We are both on the same page and all that stuff."

Ella blinked in shock, "Seriously? Who are you and what have you done with Tony Stark?"

"I want you to be happy, it's why I wanted you to move here and start over. If Spangles makes you happy, then I'm happy for you guys." Tony replied

"Pepper got to you didn't she?"

"Yep. You know Pepper, the voice of reason….or anger." Tony laughed

"You know you are still one of my most favourite people right?"

"Of course, I'm awesome; I'm in everyone's most favourite person list."

"You're the best." Ella said giving him a quick, awkward side hug while still sitting on her seat.

"I know, you're alright too. Now stop being mushy and hand me that screwdriver."

/

"Sir, the rest of the men are back." A small voice laced with fear said that belonged to a young man.

"The men have failed me. I told them to bring in Iron Man was that so difficult? One man with a metal suit?" The older man in the room replied. He was wearing a white lab coat and was sitting behind a huge oak desk.

"He…had help, Doctor. They tried their best, many sustained serious injuries."

"Yes, the other avengers. I wasn't expecting that. A small detail overlooked on my part." The doctor nodded as he picked up a file in front of him.

"What are your orders, sir?"

The older man thought about it for a moment, taking his time to look over each file on his desk carefully while the younger man shuffled his feet nervously.

"Do you want to know the most remarkable thing about the avengers, Wilson? It's not their abilities, it's the fact they are together, a team, a family even." The older man replied eventually

"Sorry sir, I don't follow" Wilson replied

"Perhaps we have being going about this all wrong, instead of using force maybe we should send out an invitation. We hurt one of their own they will come running for revenge, and we will have them right where we want them." The older man nodded.

"Sir, with all due respect we have tried to hurt them but the avengers have fought against every attack we have made. They're abilities are too strong."

"Wilson, you don't go after the ones with abilities. You go after the ones without."

/

So what do you think? Some more fluff next chapter! Yay!

Favourite line/scene?

Please review they mean so much to me, I love hearing your thoughts and ramblings about the story! You will also get a hint for next chapter!

Next update: Wednesday!


	18. Chapter 18

Thanks so much for everything! You are all the best group of reader I could have ever hoped for and I am honoured that you like the story and are taking the time to read it!

Hope you like the chapter, it's the last fluffy one before all the action begins as we reach the final stretch of the story!

/

Steve rolled over hoping to get a few more hours sleep before he was needed up. He threw an arm out to his side where he expected to find Ella still sleeping next to him. Instead of her warm body all Steve encountered was the cool sheets of his bed. He raised himself up on his elbows slightly to scan the room for his girlfriend. She was no where to be seen. They had gone to bed early the previous night, lying in each others arms. Ella constantly checking he was okay while Steve was reassuring her he was fine. In the end it took a heart stopping kiss from Steve to finally convince Ella he was alright. They had fallen asleep not long after that, Ella wrapped protectively in his arms.

Steve was pulled out of his thoughts by a scream coming from his bathroom. He instantly knew it was Ella, he was out of bed in an instant grabbing his shield as he went before rushing into the bathroom.

The sight that greeted him was not one Steve expected to see. There were no Lumia agents nor any other dangers in sight yet Ella was crouched down in the shower, still fully clothed staring at the sink.

"Ella?" Steve asked confused. Ella looked over at him slowly blushing. Here was her super sexy boyfriend standing in the bathroom in nothing but a pair of sleeping trousers with his hair ruffled from sleep and his shield strapped to his arm.

"Steve! Get it!" She said frantically pointing towards the sink again. Steve looked even more confused before looking at the sink again spotting what had caused her to scream.

"Ella, it's only a spider." He laughed lowering his shield

"Only a spider? Spiders are evil!" She muttered still crouching in the shower.

Steve placed his shield down before grabbing a glass to trap the spider in. Once the spider had safely been transported to the window and then thrown out of said window Steve returned to the bathroom.

"It's gone." He said holding out his hand to help Ella out of the shower. She took his hand gratefully.

"Sorry I woke you, I really hate spiders." Ella admitted slightly guilty for causing Steve to worry about her.

"It's okay, I'm just glad it was only a spider and not some Lumia agent." Steve replied leading her back to the bedroom.

"Sorry, I didn't think I screamed that loud. It caught me off guard."

"So how long have you been scared of spiders?" Steve asked as they got back into bed, the warm of the covers enveloping the couple.

"Since I was a kid. I never really liked them, they are hairy and they move really fast. My mom thought it was hilarious that out of all the things in the world to be scared of I decided it should be spiders." Ella laughed as she got comfy against Steve's chest.

"Well I admit being that scared of spiders is irrational but everyone has something that scares them, even if it's not scary at all." Steve replied as he played with her hair. Ella noticed he did that a lot, not that she minded. If anything she found it calming.

"What are you scared of?" She asked softly

"Ice." Steve replied after a moment, "the cold, and the idea of being trapped in it again."

Ella leaned up to kiss him softly. She could understand that, after he spent 70 years frozen in ice and survived, anyone would be scared.

"That's not an irrational fear, Steve. It's a human one."

/

"Sir, Director Fury is here and on his way up." Jarvis said alerting all the avengers of their new guest.

The avengers were gathered together in the living room. Tony had decided they needed a break from the Lumia investigation and that they should watch another movie. What with all the attacks their weekly movie nights had been put on hold. Not everyone agreed with this idea, namely Steve and Clint who both thought they should be trying to find out who is behind the attacks. Eventually they lost the argument and decided the join their team.

"What the hell does Fury want now?" Tony grumbled from his position on the couch next to Bruce.

"Maybe he wants an update on the Lumia?" Natasha suggested she was perching on the armrest of the armchair that Clint was occupying.

The avengers didn't have long to speculate before Director Fury entered the room. He took the time to look at everyone in the room individually. His eyes resting on Steve and Ella - who were sharing an armchair between them - longer than the rest.

"Director, we would have called if we had any new information." Clint said after several seconds of silence.

"I'm not here regarding the Lumia, Agent Barton." Fury replied

"Then why are you here? I'm pretty sure you weren't invited to movie night." Tony remarked before throwing some popcorn in the air and trying to catch it in his mouth. Most of it landed in Bruce's lap. The doctor raised an eyebrow at the genius before throwing the popcorn back at him.

"I'm here to see Miss Stark."

Everyone in the room looked shocked and confused before all their eyes settled on Ella.

"Why all you looking at me? I haven't done anything!" She insisted before looking sceptically at Fury, "Have I?"

"No Miss Stark, but I do need to talk to you in private for a few moments." Fury answered.

Ella looked over at Tony before shrugging, curiosity taking over. She climbed off the armchair, giving Steve's hand a squeeze before following Fury out into a more private room.

"What can I do for you, Director?" Ella asked once he had shut the door of Tony's home office. Ella hadn't even really seen this room before but it was very Tony. Sleek, elegant. There was a potted plant on the desk though which must have been Pepper's influence.

"I'll cut to the chase. Ella Stark, 22 years old, graduated top of your class in computer science. According to Agent Romanoff your fighting isn't half bad either."

"You are planning on writing my autobiography?" Ella joked; Fury looked at her narrowing his eyes.

"I'm planning on offering you a job with SHIELD. You managed to hack a system none of my people could, according to Romanoff you would make a decent field agent with a lot of training." Fury replied

"Wait what? You want me to work for SHIELD? A few months ago you didn't even want me involved in avengers business and now you want to give me a job?" Ella scoffed.

"You hacked the CIA when you were a teenager, managed to re-write your school file and the avengers trust you. I want you on my team."

"No thank you." Ella stated simply

"Do you not understand what I'm offering you here?" Fury asked her in disbelief.

"I understand perfectly, Director. I'm just not interested. I'm not a spy, I can't kill people nor do I want too. I know all about SHIELD, you take people and turn them into weapons. I don't want any part in that." Ella confirmed meeting Fury's intense gaze.

"Miss Stark, with some training you have the potential to be great. Why do you want to throw away an opportunity like that?"

"I don't want to work for a secret organisation that will end up putting my life in danger."

"You're dating Captain Rogers and you live with the avengers, you're life is going to be in danger everyday." Fury replied

"That's different." Ella said shaking her head

"Is it?" Fury challenged

Ella thought for a moment. Of course it was different, Steve was worth that risk; they all were. Besides she had the best people watching her back. Ella was always a stubborn person, one of the few traits her mom blamed on Howard. She didn't want to become a spy like Natasha, not that she hated what the red-head did. Ella understood Natasha's missions were to protect people but Ella couldn't deal with loss the way Natasha could. She wasn't as strong or as together in herself as Natasha was.

"I'm sorry Director but my decision still stands. Thank you for the offer but I don't want to work for SHIELD." Ella confirmed, "If you need my help then I will help in whatever way I can but I don't want to work for you."

Fury sighed he had already feared this answer. She was a Stark and as stubborn as hell, just offering her a job was enough of a risk in his opinion, "Very well but just so we are clear, I won't be making this offer again."

"I understand, Director."

/

Steve grabbed Ella's hand as they walked out of the movie theatre, after Fury had left Ella came back into the living room and filled the avengers in on her conversation with him. Tony was outraged that Fury would even think about offering Ella a job considering how he didn't even think Tony was fit of the avengers initiative in the first place. Natasha and Clint didn't seem surprise by the news but they were spies so they had probably known way before Fury had even arrived at Stark tower. Steve and Bruce didn't say anything, not that they would have been able to what with Tony's ranting. Steve pulled Ella into a much needed hug, kissing her forehead. He was angry that Fury wanted to recruit Ella and didn't even think to tell the avengers first but he didn't say anything, choosing to focus on her instead.

They all sat there in silence for a while before each member left, claiming one excuse or another until Steve and Ella were the only two left in the living room, still cuddled together on the armchair. Steve had asked her on their official second date deciding the movies would be a good idea considering the avengers never actually got to watch a movie like they planned too. Ella eagerly agreed and followed him out of the Tower.

They watched the first movie title they saw at the theatre which turned out to be a romantic comedy, Ella found it much more amusing than Steve did, not that he minded. Steve spent most of the movie watching Ella instead, her laugh, the way she smiled. Steve decided Ella's smile was one of his favourite things about her, along with her eyes, her determination. When Steve thought about it he decided there wasn't anything about Ella he didn't love, not even when she scared him in the mornings because she found a spider or the way she stole his shirts to sleep in. She looked at lot better in them anyway.

Now they were standing just outside the theatre deciding whether or not to get some ice cream before heading home.

"Oh, I know a great ice cream place just around the corner." Ella said after thinking about which store was nearest to them. She still hadn't got her bearings of New York yet, but she was learning slowly.

"I love you." Steve replied as if he was listening to a completely different conversation. Ella laughed at his random statement.

"I love you too, but that doesn't help with the ice cream situation."

"No I mean I really love you. The way you stood up to Fury and held your ground, you are remarkable, you know that?" Steve replied taking her face in his warm hands.

"It wasn't that difficult, I don't want to join SHIELD and I never do anything I don't want to do." Ella replied

"You don't say" Steve smirked capturing her lips in a kiss. Ella smiled before wrapping her arms around him, bringing them closer together as she kissed back.

"HEY ISN'T THAT CAPTAIN AMERICA?" They heard someone shout causing the pair to break the kiss. The next thing they knew cameras and reporters were running up the street towards them, seeming to come out of no where.

"You know I think we have ice cream at home." Steve said

"Sounds good to me!" Ella replied looking back at the mob of reporters. Steve grabbed her hand before they set off at a run, heading towards Stark Tower. Ella thanked god she was wearing jeans because Steve was a fast runner, luckily though, he never let go of her hand.

/

So what do you think? I can never resist a good bit of fluff! Some action next chapter, and the one after that, and the one after that….you get the idea!

Favourite line/scene?

Please review it means a lot and you get hints to next chapter because I know how much you guys love the hints! :p

Next update: Friday!


	19. Chapter 19

Hey there! You are so amazing thank you for everything! I hope you like this chapter, its one of my favourites! Major relationship development and action! I am spoiling you now!

/

Ella waved to Pepper as she crossed the street to join the red head who was sitting at a table in front of her favourite café near Stark Industries. Pepper had called her earlier that morning asking if Ella was free to meet for lunch. Ella jumped at the chance considering how little time she had spent with Pepper since she had moved into Stark Tower.

"Hey Pep!" Ella smiled as she sat down opposite the red head, a plate of chicken salad waiting in front of her.

"Hey, I ordered your usual I hope that's okay." Pepper smiled in return

"It's perfect, I'm starving."

"Steve tiring you out already?" Pepper asked raising her eyebrow causing Ella to blush and nearly choke on a piece of chicken.

"I was training with Natasha; apparently I have been given enough time off." Ella said pausing to take a sip of her diet coke, "I think she is trying to kill me, Pep."

Pepper laughed, "She is trying to help, what with this Lumia stuff hanging over our heads learning a little self defence can't be a bad thing."

"No I guess you're right, but Natasha is hard core with the self defence stuff."

Pepper laughed again taking a bit of her Greek salad, "Besides you think you have it bad, Tony is turning into even more of an insomniac than he was already. This Lumia stuff as really got to him."

"I know, Steve too. He has been training a lot more lately. I think they just want to be on their guard considering we have no idea who the hell is behind this yet." Ella replied.

"And the Lumia isn't the only problem you have to deal with." Pepper sighed; Ella looked up at her confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you seen the news this morning?" Pepper asked before grabbing her handbag. She pulled out a copy of that morning's newspaper and gave it to Ella who stared at the main headline.

"You have got to be kidding me?"

The headline read: _**CAPTAIN AMERICA'S MYSTERY GIRL**_ with a small paragraph underneath

_**Captain America was seen out in New York yesterday kissing a mystery girl. They seemed to be very much on a date according to the public. It has been revealed however that Captain America's girl is none other than Ella Stark, the younger estranged sister of billionaire Tony Stark.**_

Ella shook her head at the newspaper before folding it up, choosing not to read the rest of the article.

"Can't these people get a life?" She sighed spearing a tomato onto her fork

"It's what they do; don't let it get to you. Trust me if I let everything printed about me and Tony get to me, we wouldn't even be together right now." Pepper replied reassuringly grabbing Ella's hand.

"You're right; we have bigger things to worry about." Ella nodded. She was about to say more when she noticed a small red dot on Pepper's suit jacket, at first she thought it was a spot of sauce but then it moved.

"Pep, you have a…" She trailed off pointing towards the dot. Pepper looked down at it before looking back at Ella

"You have one too." She replied pointing to Ella's shoulder where they was in fact a red dot identical to Pepper's.

"But that looks like…" Ella started trailing off as more dots appeared on Pepper. Ella gasped as she realised what they were. Targets.

"Pepper get down!" Ella shouted as a bullet zoomed pass Ella, smashing her glass on the table. Everyone is the café froze before running out screaming. Ella and Pepper dove for cover as more bullets hailed down. Ella couldn't see a shooter but judging by the target dots they were probably a safe distance away.

More bullets were fired causing Ella to jump as they hit the front of the table her and Pepper were hiding behind. Pepper didn't seem to be coping any better, she reached for her earpiece.

"Hello, anyone there?!" Pepper called out hoping someone would answer

"Pepper? What's wrong?" It was Clint

"Ella and I are being shot at!" She shouted into the device

"I'm coming, try and stay hidden until I get there!" Clint replied.

Ella tried to take a calming breath but it was difficult considering this was the first time she had been shot at. Ella was just about to turn to Pepper when she was grabbed from behind. Ella screamed as her assailant dragged her to her feet. She could vaguely hear Pepper called her name as she was dragged onto the street. Ella felt fear rise up in her back she pushed it back. What would Natasha do?

Ella threw her head back so it collided with the assailants chin. He grunted in pain shoving her away from him. Ella quickly spun around throwing a punch into the man's stomach. The man swore before grabbing Ella's hair and throwing her towards the ground. Ella hit the tarmac with a thud, groaning as her knees slammed against the pavement. The man loomed above her causing Ella to kick out at him. The force of her kick knocking him back but not down. Ella sprang back to her feet, ready to throw another punch but the attacker was ready for her this time. He managed to block her attack and then used his arm to pin up against the nearby wall.

"What do you want with us?" Ella spit out at him

"I want you to give the avengers a message." The man replied gruffly with a heavy accent. Ella was stunned by this fact and didn't reply so the man continued, "If they want to end this Dr Moorefield will be waiting."

"Dr Moorefield?" Ella asked confused

"They're smart people, they will figure it out." The attacker laughed menacingly

"Ella!" Clint shouted causing Ella to turn her head towards him. He had his bow and arrow raised firing a shot towards her attacker who managed to dodge it before releasing her and making off down the street. Clint fired three more arrows that lodged into the attackers shoulder and arm but he kept running until he was out of sight. Ella coughed as she slid down the wall, the adrenaline from her fight wearing off. Clint walked over to her, kneeling to check she was okay.

"Pepper?" She asked

"She is fine; I got there before they could get to her." Clint smiled grabbing Ella's arm to help her to her feet. Clint led her back towards the café which was pretty much destroyed now.

"Pepper!" She cried seeing the red head. She ran over to her giving her a hug which Pepper returned eagerly.

"We have to get you back to the Tower. No one else was near the comms device at the time; I told Tony we needed to wear them all the time!" Clint muttered as he led them after from the café.

"So the others don't know we were attacked?" Ella asked

"I think they figured it out." Clint said nodding as the other avengers came into view. Pepper instantly collapsed against Tony who murmured soothingly in her ear. Ella ran to Steve who instantly wrapped her in his arms.

"You're okay now. I'm so sorry. I was training and forgot my comms device." Steve explained as he kissed her hair.

"It's okay, I'm okay." Ella replied burying her face in his chest. Steve held her tighter, the fear of losing her slowly dissipating as he held her.

/

"Dr Moorefield?" Bruce asked Ella confused. They were all sitting around the table in the meeting room. Ella and Pepper were both physically okay but a little shaken, Steve held Ella's hand under the table, rubbing his thumb across her hand in a calming manner.

"Yeah, you know him?" She replied seeing the realisation on his face.

"Dr Moorefield, he is a scientific genius, the guy has literally helped shape the future of science as we know it. He specialises in genetic anomalies and unique human conditions." Bruce said, the whole team filled with dread at his statement.

"So he is behind Lumia?" Steve asked

"It looks like it, it makes sense. I worked with the guy before when we were looking to recreate the super solider serum. Moorefield definitely gave off the crazy signals."

"Define crazy signals?" Clint asked

"I mean he really wanted the serum to work, really badly. He would always do extra research, in the end he decided to open up his own research but it failed just like all the other projects did."

"So that's his play, he wants to study us and see what makes us well, us?" Tony asked

"Then why go after Ella and Pepper?" Natasha asked slightly confused as to why they targeted them when they weren't even official avengers.

"They tried attacking us directly but it didn't work, Moorefield is smart he knows they are the only way to get to us. Why do you think he sent a message with his latest attack?" Bruce explained, his question was meant as a rhetorical one but Tony answered it anyway.

"This is a game to him, all the attacks and now he is bored of the game. Moorefield is ready for the final event."

"You can't go after him, it's a trap!" Ella insisted

"She's right Tony, Moorefield will be expecting us to go after him now, and he will be ready." Natasha agreed.

"We can't just do nothing!" Tony argued back throwing his hand up in frustration

"Enough! We don't even know where Moorefield is yet but if you are right about it being a trap then he shouldn't be hard to find. I say we find him first then we work out some kind of a plan." Steve cut in causing everyone to stop and listen to him.

Tony sighed but nodded reluctantly, "Okay Spangles, I can get Jarvis to run a program and search for Moorefield. Like you said he shouldn't be too hard to find."

"For now we should all try and get some rest. Moorefield won't attack again tonight; he will be waiting for us to make our move." Bruce added

/

"Are you okay?" Ella asked Steve, they were on his floor curled up on his sofa. The TV was on though neither was watching it. Steve had been unusually quiet since the meeting and Ella was starting to get worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Steve replied curtly before getting up and walking into the kitchen. Ella followed him knowing he was lying.

"Steve?" She prompted gently as he fumbled around with the kettle, "Talk to me."

"You could have died!" Steve shouted as he spun around to look at her. Ella's eyes lit up with realisation.

"I didn't, I'm okay." She reassured him grabbing his hand

"I could have lost you." Steve said brokenly. Ella's heart broke at his tone.

"You didn't lose me, I'm right here." She replied gently moving her hands to his face.

"Hearing about the attack, that was the scariest moment of my life. Worse then when I first got injected with the serum, worse than crashing that plane into the ocean. You mean everything to me; Ella and I can't lose you."

"You're never going to lose me."

Steve looked up at her, this beautiful woman in his arms and felt overwhelmed by the amount of love they had for one another. Steve kissed her deeply, passionately. The need to feel her in his arms alive and safe was overwhelming. Ella melted into the kiss her arms wrapping around his neck. It was only when Steve's lips moved to her neck and his hands worked their way through the buttons of her shirt did she stop.

"Steve are you sure about this?" She whispered against his lips

"Sometimes there aren't enough words to tell someone you love them. Sometimes you have to show them. I love you Ella, I always will." Steve replied before gently removing her shirt, letting it drop to the floor.

Ella kissed him again before pushing his shirt up his body and over his head, she would never get use to the sight of his perfectly chiselled chest. She rested a hand over his heart, a small smile on her lips. They reconnected they're lips, both of them losing themselves in each other.

"You're so beautiful." Steve whispered into her ear sending shivers down Ella's spine as his hands traced every part of her body they could, almost like he was committing it to memory. Ella smiled before taking his hand and leading him into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

/

So what do you think? Action and romance you lucky people!

Favourite line/scene?

Please review! Of course reviews get a sneak teaser of the next chapter! We are now coming into the final showdown! But there are still about 5 chapters to go! Including an epilogue!

Next update: Sunday!


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